To Save A Soul
by angiembabe
Summary: Upon entering the afterlife, Atem makes the decision to let Marik's Yami and Yami Bakura into the afterlife. Years later, that decision ends up causing trouble for everyone when illegal magic being used by one wayward Yami clashes with Seto Kaiba's technology. As a result of the clash, Anzu and Queen Teana's souls are swapped.
1. The Long Road Home

I took a bit of a break from writing, but after going through some of my abandoned drabbles, came up with a new story. There will be a bit of dark humour, a bit of smut and some adult themes and occasional bad language. I will rate it T, but with a warning that it is not really suitable for minors.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters, no matter how much I wish I did.

To Save A Soul.

Prologue.

The Long Road Home.

* * *

So many words left unspoken, were among the jumbled thoughts to enter Anzu's mind as Atem stepped over the threshold.

She may have even confessed her feelings, had Jonouchi not grabbed her arm and shaken his head.

But then the doors closed, taking him away forever.

What were her feelings worth anyway? She still had Yugi. But the two Yugi's had been an unbeatable team and she had loved them as a unique pair. Between them, they were her dream man.

She was unsure what would happen with Yugi now that Atem was gone. She feared the possibility, that without the Spirit of the Puzzle, he might revert back to being a timid teenager and she did not want to let that happen.

But she had no time to dwell on the future, or her missed opportunities and regrets, because a low rumble beneath her feet alerted her to the fact that they may need to get out of here in a hurry.

The ground suddenly shook violently. Parts of the floor and ceiling were starting to collapse around them. A large pillar holding the ceiling started to crack and buckle. They had to run to avoid being crushed.

The stone slab cracked and started to sink into the ground.

"The Millennium Items?!" She heard Yugi shout.

Jonouchi yelled at him to leave the Puzzle. Luckily, Yugi listened and they all made it out into the bright desert sunlight safely.

She looked at Yugi gazing out across the desert. He was standing strong, but he was facing away from her and she wondered what he was thinking.

Oh, Yugi. She wanted to call out his name, but did not want to break into his private moment of reflection.

They were all in mourning, but were standing stoic in the light of their friend's passing – it was always Atem's destiny, after all.

But how did everyone really feel about it?

::::::::::::

Clenching his fists, Yugi tilted his chin proudly and looked towards where the sun was beginning its journey, high over the Valley of The Kings. He had beaten his close friend, brother and soul mate in a duel. Now he had to prove that sending him away from this world, back to his 'real' family and friends, was the best thing.

Oddly enough, he was feeling calm. He did not fear the future. He was actually ready to embrace whatever adventures might come his way next. Atem had left him with a strong heart and soul – he'd always been strong according to Atem – and he was determined to prove that he was indeed fit to wear the crown as the King of Games, and wield his deck with pride.

If he had any regrets, it was that he and Atem had been so focused on preparing their decks for the Ceremonial Duel that they had not talked to each other about... feelings and stuff. But they were boys and boys didn't really share their feelings with one another.

Still, it would have been nice to tell Atem how good it was to have known him. Growing up, Yugi always wanted a brother and close friend, and in Atem he had found more than that.

Solving the Puzzle and meeting its occupant had come at a time when Yugi was going through a particularly awful patch in his life. He was struggling to fit in at high school, and because of this he was lonely and getting picked on. Atem's methods might have been harsh at times, but he did give Yugi the strength to fight back against his bullies, regain his battered confidence, make friends and even shine above most of his peers.

He would be eternally grateful to the young Pharaoh with whom he shared a bond that spanned three millennia.

Ishizu broke him out of his thoughts. "We should make our way back," she said tentatively, not wishing to intrude on him. "Only, this area will be swarming with tourists soon."

Everyone nodded solemnly. Being here made them feel closer to Atem and they were reluctant to leave. His original tomb was close by. But the place his soul had departed was here, right under their feet.

Yugi scanned the area one last time. The ground collapse had all but swallowed the entrance to the underground temple. This particular temple was not open to the public, but the ruins around the temple were and he wondered what the reaction would be when they realised the temple had vanished.

Turning to Ishizu, he smiled and nodded, "Yeah, you're right."

He was not sure if he was really ready to leave, but knew it was for the best.

The group climbed into the two Range Rovers being driven by Rishid and Marik, and set out along the dusty road, back towards the hustle and bustle of Luxor.

Yugi turned and gave one last look out the rear window and said a silent goodbye.

::::::::::::

Losing was something Atem hated. He would be the first to admit he was a terrible loser. However, Yugi had taught him that losing wasn't necessarily something to be feared. And witnessing Jonouchi's struggles had taught him that losing was often a step on the path to becoming stronger.

But Atem had often been in a situation where he could not afford to lose. To lose meant the loss of hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.

However. the Ceremonial Duel was never about winners or losers. For him, it was about proving himself worthy of his place in the afterlife. While for Yugi, it had been about proving he was a strong enough man to stand on his own.

What would have happened if he had won and Yugi had lost? The Gods might never give him the answer, but it was unlikely it would have been: 'Sorry, you have both failed. Please come back in six weeks and try again.'

When the doors opened, bathing them all in white light and golden brilliance, Atem stepped forward, making sure to keep his back facing his friends.

Sentimental goodbyes were not his forte and if he turned around now he might not want to leave.

For a moment, however, he hesitated.

Part of him was desperately willing him to turn around and run over to thank each of them in turn for helping him. He wanted to give the boys bear hugs, and say thanks, for following him into battle and watching his and Yugi's back.

He wanted to kiss the hand of each Ishtar, for generation after generation of their family's sacrifice; all to protect the secret of the Millennium Items and to await the return of the nameless Pharaoh.

He wanted to confess to Yugi that he loved him like a brother. He felt so indebted to Yugi. How could he repay the young man for letting him take over his body at will, subjecting him to all manner of life threatening situations, all with the aim of fulfilling a destiny that was unknown due to his amnesia.

He could hear them shedding tears and calling out their goodbyes, but still he did not turn around. Instead, he took one step closer to his future.

He could see the smiling faces of his priests and family waiting for him. They were keeping him from faltering. They were beckoning him to walk into the light.

Hearing Anzu calling out made him turn his head briefly. In his peripheral, he caught sight of her stepping forward and he nearly crumbled. He wanted so badly to ran over there and sweep her into his arms. How badly he wished to crush his lips against hers and tell her he loved her.

But Yugi also held feelings for her and he could not break his Aibou's heart by taking her from him.

He took another step forward and raised his right arm. He had no idea why he gave them the thumbs up, but some vague notion that it was the modern way of saying 'I'm okay guys!' told him that it was the thing to do.

He took yet another step and was now over the threshold. His clothing was changing, from his Domino boys uniform, to his favourite choice of comfortable attire.

He could hear the doors creaking as they started to close. It was his last chance to turn around and make a run for it.

Tears pricked his eyes, and he closed his eyes tightly against the brilliant light. A light so bright, he could no longer see his family and priests.

With a loud crash, the doors closed fully. And behind his eyelids it was suddenly dark. Death and decay struck his nostrils, causing him to open his eyes in sudden fear.

This was not the afterlife!

"Where am I?" He gasped. However, deep down, he knew exactly where he was. Why were the Gods doing this? Had they not already put him through enough over the last three thousand odd years?

"You are in the underworld," came the booming, but slightly sarcastic voice of the jackal God, Anubis.

Atem looked up at the imposing figure of Anubis coming towards him. The God walked with a stick, and looked old, tired and rather like he would prefer to be elsewhere.

Even so, he was still formidable.

Atem feigned bravery and straightened himself up to his full height of five feet two. "Anubis! Why am I here and not in the afterlife?"

Anubis grunted and looked down at him. "Think yourself lucky I'm here to guide you, little Pharaoh. If I had my way, I would have joined my fellow Gods in paradise a long time ago. But thanks to Ra's insistence that I wait for you, I'm still stuck here."

Atem was not too sure what he was supposed to say in response. He had the distinct impression that if he were to say the wrong thing, this bad tempered jackal might bite his head off or leave him to traverse the winding, crumbling pathway on his own. Or even worse, push him over the side for the demons to devour. He had been taught that temptation and distraction lay along the path to judgement. Many failed the test – and that was even before the weighing of the heart!

He gave Anubis a wry half smile and a brief nod of the head. "Thank you for your patience."

Anubis huffed. "You are the last of those who worshipped the great Gods. After you have gone, we will be all be redundant and can finally rest." He gestured with his long staff. "Come. We must make haste."

Atem walked forward and nearly stumbled on his first step when the cobble he trod on moved in the loose sandstone. A serpent immediately rose from the loose shale on the side of the path and struck out at him with a forked tongue comprising of two fearsome looking daggers. Thanks to his quick reactions, Atem only just managed to dodge the strike and nearly tumbled backwards onto his bum.

Anubis turned to glare at him and rolled his eyes as if to say 'idiot'.

Atem scowled and righted his posture. Maybe he should take more care. This path was old and crumbling, making it even more dangerous than he had imagined it would be.

He reached the first gate, and his next task was to successfully remember the spell he had been taught as a child. It took him a few moments to search for such long forgotten memories, but thankfully, Anubis prompted him with a hint – the God was not so bad after all.

The hint worked and Atem found himself reciting the spell as if it was only yesterday, and not three thousand years ago that he had learned it.

He wondered how this place must have looked thousands of years ago with an endless stream of souls making their way along this path, all in the hope they would reach the Hall of Osiris and be deemed worthy. He imagined that Anubis would not guide them all personally, as he was being lead now.

After a minor encounter with a fire breathing dragon, he reached the second gate and quickly passed through.

He was getting used to this now and when a ravenous five headed reptilian abomination appeared, he had been expecting it and nearly burst out laughing.

"This is not one of your games," Anubis grumbled. But Atem could see a slight hint of amusement on the face of the jackal god.

Having passed successfully through all seven gates, Atem now found himself standing in the Hall of Osiris. He had thought all forty two judges would be here to greet him, but apart from deep russet stone walls covered in brightly panted murals of the lesser gods, it was empty.

However, as he approached the alter, he could hear whispering and feel pressure on his heart as the spirits of those gods searched his soul for his deeds.

"He's pure..." he heard one hiss. "Great sacrifice..." he heard another.

The feather of Ma'at floated down and landed on the scale. Before him, Ammit chomped her teeth and drooled hungrily.

He wondered about Bakura's fate. The man had committed such evil crimes, but who could blame him when his life had been so tragic and his mind had been poisoned by Zorc.

He imagined offering himself up to Ammit if it meant that his enemy could be given a chance of peace and happiness.

"Do not burden yourself with his fate Atem. Bakura will be given his reward." Was that the voice of Osiris he was hearing? His eyes widened slightly at the knowledge they could sense and hear all of his thoughts and deeds; past and present.

Atem felt a pain in his chest as if his heart were being removed from him. The scales trembled slightly when the bloody, pulsing muscle, that only a few moments ago was beating inside his chest, was placed on the scale opposite the feather.

He was relieved when the feather dipped to show that his heart weighed lighter than the feather.

"You pass the test and may proceed to your paradise." With that statement, Ammit's eyes and jaws closed, and she sunk away into the darkness, only to be replaced by a golden light.

A silver gondola appeared and Atem prepared to step aboard, knowing that before him lay paradise.

But before he had the chance to move, he heard a voice that he never thought he would hear again.

"Aren't you going to offer me a ride?"

"Bakura!" Atem gasped and stared between the thief and Anubis.

"And ME!" Another soul he hoped never to see again stepped out of the void.

"Marik's Yami! But how? I thought you were destroyed."

"Wrong Pharaoh! I AM the darkness. Therefore, the darkness cannot destroy me."

"So, what are they doing here Anubis?" Atem was starting to panic now. He hoped to the Gods that he wasn't expected to babysit these two evil bastards.

Anubis let out a rather irritated sigh. "They have been stuck here with me. Osiris thought it best that you should be the one to decide their fate. I tried to argue, but..." he shrugged. "They were driving me to despair with their endless bickering, so I put them in stasis until you arrived."

"What will you do, Pharaoh?" Bakura smirked, showing off his large incisors. "Feed us to Ammit or invite us into paradise with you?"

Atem folded his arms. "Ammit will probably choke on you," he smirked.

"I knew you would see sense," Marik's Yami grinned and threw an arm around Atem's shoulders. "By the way, I have decided my name is Kek. Maybe we can even be friends?"

Atem shoved his arm off. "I doubt it." He glared between the two men. Neither had been given the best start in life. Bakura's family had been brutally butchered before his young eyes and he had then been coerced by Zorc. Yami Marik, or Kek as he now called himself, had been a scapegoat for Marik's inability to deal with his responsibility as a Tomb Keeper – a responsibility that was cruel.

He thought about what Yugi might say to him were they still together. Yugi would want to show them compassion. He would want to give them a chance.

Atem was more of a realist. These two were dangerous – or had been. Was there even a possibility that they could find some light inside themselves and redeem themselves? Deep in his heart, Atem knew the answer. Even if there was only a small glimmer of hope, they deserved a chance.


	2. Soul Swap

Thank you to those who reviewed, followed/fav this story. It means a lot to me and makes writing feel worthwhile. Since it is also Anzu's birthday today, and this chapter features her, I thought I would give her a birthday gift by posting this chapter.

Chapters will be posted weekly, starting next Saturday.

* * *

Chapter 1.

Soul Swap.

Hidden inside a tomb, set high in the cliffs overlooking the River Nile close to the ancient burial site near El Badari, a hooded figure crouched over a small bowl of a black, tar-like substance. He had taken a huge risk to obtain some shadow energy from the underworld, but if this worked it would prove the risk had been worth taking.

Smiling to himself, the figure pushed his hood back to reveal wild, white blonde hair.

The shadows in the bowl hissed and snarled at him, and a dark tendril lunged from the bowl, intent on biting the human who had stolen it from from its home. But the human was not afraid of a small shadow and snatched it before it could bite his face. "Behave yourself," he snarled, shoving it back into the bowl. If it thought it could intimidate someone who was born from darkness then it had better think again.

The man glanced around the tomb. This particular area had been abandoned long ago. No one ever came here and he was confident that he would not be discovered.

The tombs in these cliffs had all been looted long before Atem's dynasty had even come to rule, and nothing remained of the gold and jewels that had once accompanied the people who had been buried here.

Cackling to himself, Marik's exiled darkness (now known as Kek) pulled out a piece of papyrus with some hastily scribbled hieroglyphs written on it and prepared to start the ritual.

He had not told anyone what he was up to, but he had been planning this for months. He had visited the underworld and been put in touch with a demon who served one of the Lords of Chaos. The demon had told him of a mythical book, known as the Spell-book of Dark Arts. After making a few dodgy deals and handing over some stolen jewels as payment, he had been granted access to one spell from the book.

If this worked he would be able to return to the living world, and be free to enjoy all the things that had been denied him when his former host had abandoned him to the darkness.

As demanded by the ritual, he sprinkled a mixture of dried Rosemary, Mugwort and Lavender into the bowl and stirred it to prevent the shadows from spitting it back out.

Slicing the palm of his hand with his dagger, he dripped some of his blood into the bowl and began chanting his spell. The shadows in the bowl lapped at his blood hungrily.

As he neared the end of the spell, a section of the rock wall appeared to become translucent. He swallowed nervously and stood up. This was it. Now or Never. Just as he was about to step through, the swirling magic dancing in the bowl exploded. Was it supposed to do that? But it was too late to turn back now and he stepped into the portal. The moment he entered, his surroundings started to spin violently, throwing him into the air. He was pulled into a turbulent storm, but he still hopeful that he was moving through the barriers separating the living world from the afterlife.

But then he was flung backwards into the tomb again. The pain was crushing and he lost consciousness.

::::::::::::

Thursday evening's dance lessons started out just like any other.

Anzu took the register, checked the girls were all wearing their pale pink leotards and that their hair was properly tied into a bun, before telling them to line up in three rows of six and stand in first position.

Congratulating them on their appearance and readiness to begin, she scrolled through her play list and selected the start of the first song.

She reminded her eager young students of the moves they would be performing, and prepared to hit play.

"Okay girls!" She counted to three and started the music.

Exaggerating the dance moves, she counted in time to the music so that her young charges could copy what she was doing, all the while keeping one eye on them to ensure they were keeping up.

In one week from now, her students would be performing this routine at a local festival and they needed all the practice they could get.

Pausing the music, she rolled her eyes. "Masako Chan!" She scolded, half teasing and half serious – she did not wish to upset the eleven year old too much. "What are you doing with your knees? They're all wibbly wobbly."

The girl blushed and giggled. "I don't know Miss Anzu."

"Your back leg should be straight. You were doing this." Anzu demonstrated by doing a floppy staggering movement with bandy legs. The girls started giggling.

Anzu stopped, placed her hands on her hips and gave them her strictest glare, while trying her hardest not to smirk or laugh. "Girls! I don't know why you are all laughing!" She clapped her hands to get their attention. "Again! With me! All of you! Masako at the front please. " Masako did as she was told and Anzu slowly exaggerated her way through each dance move while the girls followed.

Satisfied that Masako and the other girls had seemingly got it, Anzu nodded and smiled. "Perfect – almost. Okay. From the top." She re-started the music.

Just as they began running through the routine again, the lights overhead flickered and the music stopped playing when the Wi-Fi signal was lost.

"That's odd." Anzu checked her phone to see what the problem was. The mobile network was also on the blink.

Frowning, she fiddled with her phone and turned back to her students. "We will have to do without music for a moment. The network seems to be playing up." Just as she spoke, the lights flickered again.

That was the last thing she remembered before feeling a weird pulling sensation that made her feel dizzy.

She staggered and put her hand out to stabilise herself, but another peculiar surge in her chest caused her to fall to the floor.

And then everything went black.

::::::::::::

While Anzu was teaching her evening classes, Yugi was upstairs in the living quarters looking after their eighteen month old son, Atem.

The arrangement worked well, usually enabling them to balance parental duties and work between them.

On the days when Yugi was too busy with work, or was away at tournaments, either his mother or Anzu's mother would help out.

The building was well soundproofed, so he could not really hear any noise coming from the studio downstairs.

He had just finished giving Little Atem his tea when the power went out for a split second. The TV also went off and back on again, along with the digital clock displays on the cooker and microwave.

Shrugging it off as just a power fluctuation, he went back to clearing up. When the power surge happened a second time, he grew a little concerned that they might be about to get a power-cut.

A couple of minutes later, he heard the doorbell ringing frantically, along with what sounded like a young girl calling out for him to help.

He placed his son in his playpen. Unhappy about this, the toddler wailed and stretched his arms out.

Flustered, Yugi tried to placate him. "Sorry Atem. Back in a minute. There's someone at the door." He wished his son understood that he was not being abandoned.

"Just coming!" He shouted at the door, rushing to answer it.

Flinging it open, he was shocked to see two little girls in ballet leotards and frilly tutus standing there looking frightened. One was in tears.

Alarm bells rang in his head as he listened to them both trying to talk at the same time. Something about Anzu falling over and not getting up.

Behind him, his son was having a screaming fit – he could not leave him.

Running back into the kitchen, he scooped the toddler into his arms and followed the two girls downstairs.

::::::::::::

Slowly opening her eyes, Anzu blinked and looked at the wall. It was not a wall she knew.

She was in bed.

But it was not her own bed because it was lumpy and a bit on the hard side.

She felt strange.

Last thing she remembered was teaching her class. The room had suddenly started spinning and she had felt an unpleasant pulling sensation before everything went kind of black.

So where was she?

It was not a hospital because it did not smell like one. And how many hospitals had blue, gold and red drapes hanging from wooden rails above the bed?

How may hospitals had murals of ancient Egyptian Gods and Pharaohs on the walls?

Shit! Was this a crazy dream or something? It would not be the first time she had dreamt about Ancient Egypt, and Atem.

She slowly pushed herself to her elbow and tried get a better idea of where she might be, and was horrified to discover she was naked.

A strong, bare arm suddenly snaked around her waist and someone nuzzled the back of her neck, kissing the sensitive spot between her shoulders. The arm and the kisses felt just like Yugi's, giving her a nice feeling of familiarity.

She giggled. "Yu..." Just as she began to speak her husband's name, a deep voice, that was definitely not Yugi's, interrupted her.

"You're awake."

She gulped.

This was not real.

This had to be a dream – a very erotic dream. Shame she could not remember the part where she had been having sex with him. She chastised herself internally for having such thoughts.

She was way too nervous to turn around and face him.

Telling herself to calm down, she tried to reason that she had fainted, bumped her head and was now suffering from concussion, and that this was an hallucination.

Trying to get her to turn towards him, Atem was gently pulling on her shoulder.

What should she do? He was the Pharaoh, and didn't Pharaohs always get what they wanted?

"Stop it," she nervously protested. But he was quite persistent and obviously not taking no for an answer, so she let him manoeuvre her onto her back.

Kissing her throat softly, he moaned low in his throat and pressed his body against hers.

She should push him away but could not move.

He paused for a second. "What's wrong Teana?"

She made a strange gurgling, squeaking noise when he started kissing her breasts, and her body went rigid with horror.

Concerned by her lack of enjoyment, he grew very concerned. "Are you alright my love?"

She was hyper aware of his naked body against her naked body, and that his morning wood was pressing into the the top of her thigh.

She took a shuddering breath. "Meeeppp.." was the only nonsensical thing she could say.

If this was a dream caused by her fainting and hitting her head, then it was a very realistic one.

::::::::::::

Yugi ran to his wife's side, just as she was starting to stir.

The little boy in his arms spotted his mother laying on the floor and did not understand what was going on. All he wanted at this moment was for her to cuddle him.

Fretting, he squirmed in Yugi's arms and reached for her.

Trying to calm his son, Yugi knelt down and placed the boy on the floor beside him, but kept one arm tightly around him.

A couple of the girls took it upon themselves to help Yugi by grabbing Little Atem's hand, offering to look after him while Yugi helped Anzu.

However, Little Atem did not want them mauling him and resisted. He only wanted his mother.

"Anzu." Yugi gently shook her shoulder. "What happened? Are you okay?"

The woman on the floor looked up at him with glazed, confused eyes.

"Wh.. where am I?" Teana muttered, gazing around the strange looking room in surprise. Did he just call her Anzu?

Her husband had told her all about his time with Yugi, Anzu and their friends. He had delighted and enthralled her with stories of their adventures. He had talked of electronic gadgets that made life much easier. Of flying contraptions, and chariots that people drove without the need of a horse to pull them. Of hot and cold running water in every house. Glowing lights that lit a room at the flick of a switch.

And from her position on the floor, she was looking straight up at several of those glowing lights, set in a white tiled ceiling.

The last thing she remembered was snuggling down to fall asleep after making love with her husband. Maybe this was a dream influenced by Atem's stories.

A concerned, familiar, yet not familiar, face was suddenly peering over her, blocking out the florescent lighting above.

"Try not to move too quickly Anzu," he told her, gently. "You had some kind of blackout and may have hit your head."

"I.. I don't think I'm hurt," she muttered, finding it very strange that she could understand every word that was being said. If this was a dream, it was very realistic!

She pushed herself to sit.

Worried she might faint again, Yugi held her. "Can you remember exactly what happened?"

"Erm... Not really... I was..." She was just about to explain that she was not who he thought she was, when, seizing his chance to escape the annoying girls, Little Atem launched himself at her.

Still worried she may be hurt, Yugi reached out and grabbed him just in time. "Atem! Be careful!"

Teana raised her eyebrows in pleasant surprise. "Atem?" She asked, intrigued that the little boy had the same name as her husband. He even bore a slight resemblance.

But so did the man helping her. The man looked older than she imagined him to be from Atem's description, and sported a short, neatly trimmed beard. Atem talked about Yugi all the time so this man had to be him.

Had she somehow been transported to Yugi's world by mistake?

But Atem had confiscated the power of the Plana from Seto Kaiba, after he angered the Gods when he used it to traverse the dimensions. So how was this possible?

"You're Yugi. And.. is this your son..?" She muttered, trying to calm her confused mind.

He chuckled nervously. "Yes, I'm Yugi. And this is _our_ son, Atem." She must have hit her head and was suffering amnesia due to concussion. He should get her to a doctor.

"Atem." She looked at the little boy and smiled. "How adorable." Her husband would be amused and extremely flattered to know that Yugi had named his son after him.

"May I?" She held out her arms. Hoping that it might help her recover her senses, Yugi allowed Little Atem to jump into her embrace.

Her motherly instincts still felt as strong as they once had when she was alive and it stirred some long forgotten feelings.

Cuddling him reminded her of her own son – the son her husband had never known. Three thousand years had passed since her little Heba had grown into a fine man, raised his own family and lived a prosperous life before passing on into his own afterlife.

She started to cry.

::::::::::::

Anzu's embarrassment had never been so complete.

The only other man to have ever pressed his man bits against her in such an intimate way was Yugi. At one time she might have fantasised about being in this situation with Atem, but now that it was happening she was mortified.

Did being in bed with Atem mean that she was being unfaithful to Yugi?!

Right now, she was so confused and was not really able to comprehend the circumstances she found herself in.

But whatever was happening, cheating on Yugi was not an option.

Unfortunately, she did not know how she would be able to reject the Atem's advances without being rude.

She really should push him away.

She was about to tell him to stop, but her breath hitched when he touched a particularly sensitive spot and it came out as a shuddering mewl.

She felt her face burning with a mixture of fear, embarrassment, guilt and... dare she admit it, enjoyment.

There was a loud knock on the door and Anzu hoped it was a reprieve.

"Are you awake Pharaoh?" Vizier Siamun's gravelly, rather stern voice sounded from the other side of the door. He sounded just like Grandpa Muto on a bad day. "The people are waiting for you to address them."

Atem paused his ministrations and groaned. "Great timing," he hissed. Since he was Pharaoh, he could not really bail on such an important announcement. Without his blessing, the festival could not begin.

"I'm still in bed! Wait for me in my office," he shouted.

Sighing, he threw back the sheets, exposing both of them.

Anzu yelped and grabbed the sheet, pulling it around herself. In doing so, she caught sight of Atem, completely naked and... hard, strolling across the room to grab a robe.

She blushed as her eyes refused to look anywhere else, but at his...

What a view!

She felt herself heating up all over.

She heated up even more, her face burning like a wild fire, when he turned around with their robes in his hands and walked back to the bed.

Totally uninhibited, he leaned across the bed on one knee, giving her a very nice, but unwanted full frontal.

She did not know where to look without being too obvious.

He cupped her cheek, frowning at her flushed face. "Are you unwell?"

"I'm.. I'm fine. Just..." She gulped and fanned her face. "You made me feel hot."

He grinned; that naughty, lopsided, triumphant grin she remembered oh, so well. "Then I will make you feel even hotter," he winked.

Taking a deep breath, he then sighed. "But that will have to wait. We have to address the people."

"We?" She squeaked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes! The Tekh festival."

"Tekh what festival?!" The only one she had ever heard of was Sed.

"Are you sure you're okay? Or have you drunk too much wine already, and pickled your brain?" He teased.

"Wine?" She asked, dumbly.

"Yes. The feast of drunkenness, in honour of Hathor. Once I give the go ahead, everyone drinks themselves into oblivion and nine months later many babies are born," he chuckled, adding- "But the beauty of the afterlife is that hangovers do not last and the women don't get pregnant."

"Afterlife..." she muttered to herself and shook her head. So that was where she was. But how?

"Sorry I keep asking dumb questions." Without thinking, she blurted, "Geez! I bet I know who's responsible for this mess."

Scratching his head, Atem sat down on the bed beside her. "Teana, what's wrong?" Was this woman really his Teana?

Her body language. Her aura. Her speech patterns, they seemed different.

He may be imagining things, but she spoke in a tone very similar to someone else he used to know.

She grimaced at him, unsure if she should tell him who she really was. But it was probably better to tell him now, before they got into any more embarrassing situations. It was already bad enough that they were sitting naked on a bed together.

She tried to keep her eyes focussed on his face and not on his body. "Do you think we could put some clothes on first? This is kinda weird."

"Huh?!" He looked at her strangely before blinking. "Yes. Of course." He held out her robe and she gladly took it, pulling it on quickly, while he dressed himself in his own robe.

Feeling a little less exposed, she began to explain. "I'm not Teana. I'm Anzu. I was teaching a ballet class, when... BAM! The whole world turned upside down and I woke up here. "

He gawped at her. "Anzu! Then, where's Teana?" His expression changed from surprise to concern.

"I don't know," she frowned. "Maybe we've swapped places? This isn't my own body – I would know if it was." Teana's body was softer and less athletic than her own, indicating that Teana had a far more leisurely lifestyle than she did as a trained ballet dancer.

His fists clenched. "Kaiba! If he's responsible, I will... I have warned him so many times not to meddle in forces he doesn't understand."

"I'm sure he's responsible too." Anzu's initial shock was turning to worry. "I just hope Teana's safe. I know Yugi will take care of her."

"I'm certain he will," Atem agreed. "Apart from what I have told her, Teana knows nothing of your world. But, like you, she is... strong in spirit and should adjust quickly."

Anzu grimaced. "She might find it a bit awkward waking up in the middle of teaching a dance class, but not half as awkward as it is for me. At least she will have some clothes on!"

His eyes widened and he blushed. "Oh Ra! Anzu, I... erm... I'm so sorry if I... earlier. I'm.. Oh shit!" He covered his face with one hand to hide his embarrassment.

She giggled to hide her own embarrassment. "It's okay. Let's just pretend it didn't happen, okay?"

He snorted and shook his head. "I still feel really bad for poking you with my..."

Before he could finish his sentence, she nudged him. "I'm over it." She snickered. "I thought you were Yugi at first."

He groaned and cringed. "Whatever you do, please don't tell Yugi about it. Promise?"

"Don't worry, I won't. My lips are sealed." She motioned her finger and thumb across her mouth, pretending to zip up her lips.

He nodded once and stood up. "We must focus on getting you and Teana home. But first, we have to get this damned festival underway." He held his hand out. "We have to wash and dress properly for the occasion." He gazed at her with a frown. "I know it might be a bit strange for you, but I'm going to call the servants. They will wash us, and then they will dress us in our finery."

She winced at him. "Really?" She had seen a film where Cleopatra was being pampered by servants. "We don't have to get nude again do we?"

Scratching his head sheepishly, he grunted. "Well... the servants will help us into our bath and hold out robes for us to dry ourselves. They will also rub perfumed oils into our skin if we wish, and then, once we are dressed, they will decorate us in our jewellery, ready to address the people."

She continued to look at him with a rather disgusted expression.

"Don't worry," he reassured. "It's not that bad. Trust me, I will look after you," he winked, taking her hand and leading her to the bathing chamber. There, he instructed a servant to inform his vizier that they would meet him once they were bathed and dressed.

* * *

**Ha,ha, frisky Pharaoh. I hope you enjoyed!**

**Okay, so I don't know much about magic, but since Yugioh features all sorts of ridiculously impossible magic, I am using my imagination to think what sort disaster could occur if some one like Kek got his hands on a spell.**

**Please Follow, favourite or review.**


	3. Slowly Adjusting

Without further ado, here's the next chapter... Oh! Warning for a swear word and a nude couple bathing.

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Chapter 2.

Slowly Adjusting.

After asking one of the girls to grab Anzu's water bottle from the counter, Yugi made sure she took a drink and was feeling well enough before allowing her to stand.

She set Little Atem down, who now seemed to want to run around and play dance with a few of the girls, and Yugi gently helped her to her feet.

She wobbled slightly. This was not her body and the sensation of actually having a living body was unfamiliar. The air around her somehow felt denser and the physical body heavier.

Face etched with concern, Yugi steadied her. "I think we should cancel the next class," he told her firmly. He knew she would be determined to carry on teaching, no matter how unwell she felt.

She looked at him curiously. "What class is that?"

His concern grew tenfold. "Ballet. I really think..."

"Ballet?" She interrupted him, wanting to know what ballet was.

Yugi raised a worried eyebrow. Either she must be badly concussed, or... something else was going on.

He looked into her eyes. They were clear and her vision appeared focused. But even if she looked okay, something was still seriously wrong if Anzu could not remember her lifelong passion! "You really don't remember what ballet is?!"

She bit her lip. She wanted to tell him who she really was, but not with all these children here. "I don't want you to be alarmed," she said, trying to choose her words carefully to avoid suspicion. "But I can't remember anything."

His mouth made an 'O' and he scratched his neck. "Well, if you can't remember how to dance then I am alarmed. I think, that maybe we need to get you to a hospital."

Teana had no idea what a hospital was and opened her mouth to question him but closed it again. Yugi was already worried enough as it was, without her questioning everything he said.

She looked around the unfamiliar room. It had white walls with mirrors that made their reflections so perfectly clear. And the pale wooden floor was springy compared to the hard marble floors of the palace. It must be wonderful for dancing on.

She decided to do a little jump to find out. Yugi immediately put his arm behind her back to help her should she fall again.

"It's okay. I'm no longer feeling dizzy," she told him.

"That's good," he said, relieved that she was feeling much better. "But I still don't think you should be jumping around. Not until you've seen a doctor."

There was another word she wasn't sure of. But putting two and two together, she wondered if a doctor might be some sort of physician.

She suddenly realised how out of place she was here. She wanted to go back to Kemet.

Her lip started to tremble as she fought the urge to cry. "I'm sorry."

"Hey!" He held her gently and wiped away a tear on her cheek with his thumb. "No need to apologise. I will tell the kids classes are over for today, and then I'm gonna look after you, okay?" He kissed the corner of her mouth but she turned her face away from him.

"My presence here is clearly causing problems for you."

He had not expected her to turn away from him, or say something as strange as that. What on earth was going on with her?! He was actually a little hurt by the rejection, but tried to dismiss it as something to do with her illness. "Whatever makes you think that?! You can't help it if your unwell."

He steered her over to a well worn, brown leather Chesterfield and helped her to sit down. "You sit here, okay? You can rest, while I send the kids home." Little Atem was suddenly feeling tired from running around and wanted to cuddle up with her. "Be gentle with mummy," Yugi told him softly. "She's not feeling very well." The little boy understood and touched Teana's face as if feeling for a temperature.

His concern for his mother tugged at her heartstrings and she took his little hand in hers, kissing it gently. "Mummy will be just fine," she told him, hoping she was right.

Yugi smiled and left them on the couch while he went to sort out the waiting children.

He was good with the children, she observed. He had a lovely, calm, pleasant demeanour. They all seemed to listen to what he was saying intently, and they all did as they were asked. It made her wonder what sort of father Atem would have been had he been allowed to live.

Most of the girls had phones with them and were able to call their mothers to come and get them. Yugi called the parents of the ones that didn't, and then made sure the girls all collected up their stuff and were ready to leave when their mums arrived.

A couple of the girls still seemed a bit upset by the trauma of having seen their dance teacher collapse. Teana did not want them going home unhappy and kept reassuring them she was going to be absolutely fine.

Deep down she knew she wasn't really fine. But she could not exactly tell the girls that she and Anzu had been ripped from their bodies and thrown into different worlds. It would probably freak them out!

Thinking about it made her realise that it was no joking matter and was actually quite frightening. She did not belong here and was struck with the reality that she had absolutely no idea how she was going to get home. She might even be stuck here for ever!

And where was Anzu? Her soul was not floating around this room, she was certain of that. So either her gut feeling was correct and they had swapped places or... That thought was not one she wanted to consider.

If they had indeed swapped places, her last memory was of falling asleep in Atem's arms, completely naked after making love.

What would his reaction be when he found out his wife's soul had been swapped with Anzu's?

What would Anzu's reaction be when she woke up and found herself in bed with him?

When Atem had told her about his friends in the living world, he had blushed at the mention of Anzu. Feeling envious, Teana had quizzed him and he had admitted to Anzu developing a crush on him, and that he may have had feelings for her. But he also said that Yugi was crazy about Anzu, so he could not be sure if they were Yugi's feelings or his own.

She hoped that Anzu would tell Atem who she really was, and that neither of them would fall to temptation.

But she trusted Atem. He was a gentleman and would never take advantage of someone who was in a vulnerable situation.

At least, she hoped she could trust him!

::::::::::::

Thursday evenings were always a good time for Seto to work in his private laboratory.

His wife, Sara, was out on whatever social engagement it was that she participated in on a Thursday evening, giving Seto some peace and quiet do do what he wanted.

Mokuba also had a busy social life, and would probably not be home until late in the evening, with whoever his latest girlfriend was – he could not keep up with the never ending list of gold diggers that followed his younger brother around.

Anyway, whatever they were up to, it was nice not having them both at home ganging up on him, telling him that what he was doing was dangerous and stupid.

After his previous mishaps, Seto knew it was dangerous, but he was certainly not stupid and took great offence at being called stupid by his wife and younger brother. He preferred to think of his experiments with dimensional travel as calculated risks, not as dangerous and stupid.

And if this latest experiment worked, then he had finally succeeded in creating a far safer, and more reliable way to traverse the different realities. It would be the next step towards creating a whole new dimension in which to duel.

The possibilities that would bring, not just for gaming, but for mankind as a whole, were endless! It would mean that people could travel to another country in mere seconds, without the need of expensive, fuel consuming transportation.

But that was for the future. Right now, he had a different agenda.

Checking the settings on his latest prototype matter transportation unit, he typed the coordinates into the panel.

He had taken the liberty of scanning the Pharaoh's bio-metric pattern during their previous encounter a few years ago, when things had not gone quite to plan and they had ended up with Duel Monsters running amok in Domino on Christmas Day!

But he would not make the same mistake again. To ensure things did not get out of control this time, he had created an isolated prototype dimension, that was situated within the special room his stepfather had built to test weapons that were either top secret, or too dangerous to test outside. The room was heavily lined and was also protected by a containment field.

Seto could easily just open the door, walk into the room and await the Pharaoh, but he wanted to test the system on himself as well. And all going well, he would simultaneously transport both himself and Atem into the prototype dimension for a duel.

The transporter hummed as he turned on the power. The technology was still new, and it required a lot of power to reach into the afterlife, lock onto a person and move them through the barriers. In the future, he hoped to rectify this by building a bigger reactor. But for now it meant diverting power from the grid that supplied most of the houses in Domino.

Seto did not think anyone would mind if their power went out for a few seconds, or minutes.. or – last time he conducted tests it was for over an hour. But, hey! It was in the name of scientific research!

Stepping into the transporter, he slid his fingers over the touch screen and activated the system, turning the power boost to the midway point.

The static it produced made his skin tingle and the hairs on his body stand on end.

He turned the boost to maximum.

As the power increased, it started to feel like he had thousands of tiny bugs, with sharp needles on their feet, crawling all over him. But he had expected it to be uncomfortable so he was not concerned.

Gritting his teeth, he waited to be turned into particles and then reconstructed inside the dimension he had created.

The inside of the transporter became illuminated by a bright light, and then... the power surged for a second. There was a crackle of static and it shut itself down.

A red warning light was flashing to say that something had gone wrong.

Seto cursed and immediately started to panic. He was still inside the transporter and feared his cells might be irreversibly damaged. Jumping out of the transporter he hastily scanned himself and was relieved to find he was in one piece and unharmed.

Another panic moment hit him. The Pharaoh?!

He rushed over and peered through the observation window into the sealed room containing the dimension. It was empty. He was not sure if that was a good or bad thing. "Computer! What happened? Where's the Pharaoh?"

_**{The Pharaoh is not here Sir.}**_ The computer's female voice stated.

Seto rolled his eyes. "I can see that! I asked; where is he?"

_**{The Pharaoh is not here Sir!}**_ She repeated. {_**I do not know where he is.}**_

"Well," Seto seethed. "You had better find him!" An unpleasant image of Atem being reduced to atoms and then rearranged into a mound of sludge, in some terrifying demon dimension sprang to mind.

"Run some diagnostics," he ordered.

_**{Already on it Sir.}**_

Seto waited while the computer scanned the multiverse. The multiverse was vast and it would take some time.

Seto made himself a coffee and waited impatiently. At this rate, Sara and Mokuba would be home before the computer finished her diagnostics, and would be demanding to know why he was hiding in the basement again.

Thirty minutes later, the computer had an answer.

_**{The Pharaoh is still in his own dimension Sir. From the scans I have conducted, it appears that a temporal distortion occurred at the same moment you tried to transport him, resulting in the Pharaoh's wife, and Yugi Muto's wife, changing places.}**_

In response, Seto banged his fists on the table. "You idiot! I should delete your memory for such a mistake," he snapped angrily.

_**{With all due respect Sir, It is not my mistake...} **_

Thinking that his computer was about to accuse him of a miscalculation in the programming, Seto shouted her down. "That's enough!" Since when did the computer think that it was acceptable to talk to him like that? "How the hell did a temporal distortion even happen anyway?!"

_**{As yet, I do not have an answer.}**_

"Can it be rectified?"

_**{I'm working on a solution as we speak.}**_

"Well hurry up! I don't want Yugi Muto storming round here accusing me of being irresponsible, yet again."

_**{Affirmative. I will do my best.} **_Seto could have sworn he detected a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and was unsure if he should be annoyed or or proud – after all, since he designed and implemented her programming, it was a testament to his brilliance that the computer could identify and portray human emotions.

::::::::::::

Bathing with the other Yugi was something Anzu had once had a rather naughty dream about.

At the time of the dream, he and Yugi were considered one in the same, so in her mind sharing a bath with him had been like having the best of both Yugi's rolled into one.

It was a dream she had long since consigned to the back of her mind as an adolescent school girl fantasy, but this situation was bringing it back to the surface, making her cringe.

Of course, she and Yugi had bathed and showered together on more than one occasion since they had been a couple, but it usually involved intimacy.

But the situation she now found herself in was not exactly intimate – it was utterly bizarre!

Servants had filled a rectangular pool with fresh water and were standing with eyes averted to the ground, waiting for the Royal couple to do... whatever it was they usually did.

Anzu hesitated and whispered to Atem. "Can't we just... maybe skip the bath? I don't feel that dirty."

That was a bit of a fib. She would really appreciate a long, hot shower right now because she was feeling a bit sticky from whatever the real owner of this body had been doing last night with the man beside her. She shivered at the thought.

"We cannot present ourselves with bad body odour," he whispered back. "But if you would rather I send the servants away?"

Anzu nodded frantically. "Yes please. It's awkward enough as it is, without them here. It makes me feel, you know? Exposed."

Atem wanted to tell her that the servants would not be looking at them, but he understood her feelings. "Very well. I will instruct them to wait outside until we have washed. But they will be required to help decorate us with our finery, ready for addressing the people."

She could live with that and agreed.

The two servants bowed their heads when Atem asked them to leave, and followed his orders. It was not their place to question their Pharaoh.

Anzu peered into the bath. The water was about three foot deep, and the pool was roughly six by eight metres in width and length. The tiles that lined it were beautifully decorated. At the end nearest them, the side of the bath was lower, with steps to enable getting in and out easier. There also seemed to be a ledge; probably to sit on.

Atem cleared his throat. "Do you want to bathe separately, or.." he blushed, "together?"

The offer of together was tempting. But no, she should decline. "May I go first?"

He smiled warmly. "Of course." He continued to stand there, looking at her.

She cleared her throat, gripped the top of his arms and turned him to face away from her. "And no peeking," she warned.

Chuckling. "No peeking," he agreed.

Quickly tossing her robe aside Anzu went to step into the water. It looked so inviting that she decided to wade straight in.

Atem was tempted to peek. After all, it was his wife's body. So it wouldn't do any harm if he took a sneaky look, would it? Maybe if he waited until she was in the water and was not watching him then he might...

He jumped out of his skin when he heard her scream, and instinctively ran to her side.

"It's freezing!" She shrieked, standing waist deep in water, shivering with her arms wrapped around herself. "Geez!" She was not expecting a hot bath, but she was at least expecting it to be warmer than it was! And... oh god, she was naked, and he was staring at her with his mouth hanging open.

"I said, don't peek!" She yelled at him.

Apologising profusely, he put a hand over his eyes and glanced away. "It can't be that cold! They always warm the water first," he tried to explain.

While Anzu sat on the top step, trying to cover her modesty the best she could with her arms, he dipped his arm into the water and hissed.

"For RA's sake! You're right. It's fucking freezing." He got up and angrily stormed out of the room, shouting at the servants to fetch some hot water.

Meanwhile, Anzu sat on the top step with her legs in the water. The rapidly rising sun was streaming in through the window, warming her skin, and she was slowly getting used to the cold water.

Grabbing the sponge, she dunked it and attempted to wash with it.

In the end, she decided to hell with it and plunged in, just as Atem and two servants came back, each carrying a large jug of heated water.

He laughed when he heard the funny little squeaks and hissing sounds she was making while adjusting to the cold.

"Here, this might help." He instructed the servants to pour the hot water in, but it was not really enough to make it much warmer,

By now, Anzu had resigned herself to the fact that she had lost most of her dignity anyway, and relaxed a little. "Well! Aren't you going to join me? Or are you afraid of cold water?" She teased.

He dropped his kilt to the floor. "Of course not."

Anzu was surprised when he jumped straight in and submerged his head, without so much as a flinch.

He surfaced, grinning, and shook his head like a wet dog, sending the spray in her direction.

This was a playful side of him that she had never had the pleasure of witnessing before. Yugi had told her he did have a fun side, but he had just never been able to let it show due to the dangers they had faced.

There was still the nagging worry about how she and Teana were going to get back home, but she decided to try and make the most her her time here, and learn as much as she could about Atem's Ancient Egyptian lifestyle.

They finished washing, and when he stood and excited the water to grab his robe, she was awed by the way the water droplets on his beautiful bronze skin glistened in the sunlight. It was easy for her to believe that he really was a God among men.

* * *

**Note: The reference to Duel Monsters running amok was taking from my Christmas fic: Millennium Christmas Cracker.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**

**Please review.**


	4. A Shock For Yugi

Apologies for posting a day late but I was at an open water swim event yesterday, and decided to stay at my parents as event was close to where they live.

Disclaimer reminder: I do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Chapter 3.

A Shock For Yugi.

With the children all collected, Yugi locked the door and flipped the closed sign. Sighing wearily, he turned to his wife.

He was about to suggest that she let him take her to see a doctor, but was surprised to see her playing peek-a-boo with Little Atem –who had suddenly forgotten how tired he was– as if nothing had happened.

However, as he watched them playing, he noticed that there was something different about Anzu. It was not something he could put his finger on, but there was something in her mannerisms that made her seem... different.

Shaking his head, he dismissed it as him being stressed and overly paranoid. "How are you feeling now?" He asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Much better. But..." She chewed on her bottom lip, unsure if she should say anything in front of Yugi and Anzu's son. Toddlers differed in their development but she got the impression that this little boy was quite intelligent and may understand what was being said. And the last thing she wanted was to frighten him by saying that she was an impostor and his mummy was gone. "I feel terrible for the children missing their lesson."

Yugi chewed his lip. "Yeah, but your health is more important. If you start to feel faint again, let me know immediately, okay?"

Reaching out to lift Little Atem from her lap, he smiled at her. He was less worried than he was, but was still going to watch her closely. "Can you walk? Or do you need me to support you?"

She tried to smile confidently, but was sure it looked forced. "I'm fine Yugi. I can walk on my own."

Their eyes met, and for a moment, their gazes locked. With the way he studied her, Teana was convinced he knew she was not Anzu. But then he blinked and winked at her. "Okay. As long as you're sure?"

"I'm sure," she nodded and looked away from him. Yugi frowned, but didn't say anything in response.

His attention turned to his overtired and irritable, wriggling son. Lifting him up, he carried Little Atem through a side door near the entrance to the dance studio, all the time wondering just what it was he had seen in Anzu's eyes that was different. She was hiding something, he was sure. But there was something else that he could not quite pinpoint. Whatever it was worried him, and as soon as this little guy in his arms was asleep, he intended to talk to her about it.

Teana followed, taking in her surroundings. The door from the studio had 'private! No entry' written on it and lead to a small hallway that had it's own door out onto the street. At the foot of the stairs was a coat rail, with some jackets hanging on it and a folded pushchair propped against the wall.

They reached a landing with child gate at the top, and Yugi checked that it was closed before walking along the hallway to another room. From the furniture, Teana assumed the room to be some sort of comfortable reception area for them to relax in.

Yugi checked the time on his wrist watch. It was past his son's bedtime. "If you want to sit down and relax," he told her. "I will get Atem ready for bed."

Nodding, she sat on the sofa and waited while Yugi took his son to brush his teeth and put his pyjamas on.

While they were gone, she decided to have a little nose about. On the sideboard were some photographs, and one in particular caught her eye. It was of Yugi with Anzu and their other two friends; Jonouchi and Honda. However, the thing that really got her was that the boy in the picture was Atem and not Yugi. Also, the younger version of Anzu reminded her so much of herself that it made her shiver.

Inside a drawer she found an album that was full of photos of the 'gang' as Atem called them. In some of the pictures, there was a boy that looked like Thief King Bakura. He must Ryo Bakura; Atem had mentioned him as the bearer of the Millennium Ring.

She realised that this album was very personal to Yugi, and was a treasured memento of his time spent with Atem.

Yugi came back into the room to find her still looking at the photo album. He cleared his throat. "Fond memories huh? Well, most of the time." He laughed. "When we weren't fighting some maniac who wanted to destroy the world."

She turned and smiled at him. "Atem would treasure these too. Perhaps I could..." she caught herself just in time before she accidentally let slip that she could take some back with her. But Yugi did not seem to notice.

"Yeah, he would. Maybe I'll ask Kaiba if it's possible to send some copies to the afterlife for him," he said thoughtfully, wondering if the technology could make it a reality.

"He would love that!" Teana's eyes lit up at the suggestion. Yugi was a bit startled by her over enthusiasm but did not question it. Instead, he suggested that they should try and get Little Atem to sleep.

However, with all the excitement the toddler was rebelling against his tiredness and made straight for his toy box.

He threw a tantrum when Yugi tried to take his toy train away – a sure sign that he was overtired but did not recognise it.

"Let me help?" Teana smiled softly at Yugi, lifting the small boy into her arms.

Yugi hovered, worried she might faint again.

When Teana started to gently rock the toddler, while singing a lullaby that he had never heard Anzu sing before, Yugi was left scratching his head. The lullaby sounded like something very, very old. A lump formed in his throat when it suddenly came to him: it was from a memory of an Ancient Egyptian lullaby Atem had gifted him as a keepsake, before they parted.

But how? He had never told Anzu about this precious memory.

He had to clench his hands to stop them from shaking.

Emotions bubbled up inside him and tears pricked his eyes as he listened to the tenderness in Anzu's voice while she lulled their son to sleep. Needing to be part of this moment, he stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her hips, and gently rested his head against hers as she sang.

Little Atem seemed to be captured by the lullaby too. His little hand came up to gently touch his mother's face as she held him to her bosom. The gentle vibration through her chest, her soothing voice and the rhythmic beating of her heart soon caused his eyelids to flutter closed, and it was not long before he was sound asleep.

Yugi was more than a little awed. Anzu was a wonderful mother, but she was never this doting and – in words that she would use – soppy. It made him wonder if Anzu had banged her head and woken up a different, more mellow, motherly, meek sort of person.

Teana hesitated. This beautiful little boy was fast asleep in her arms and she had no idea where his crib was.

And Yugi standing there mesmerised; gazing at her with so much love and devotion that it made her face and neck flush with heat.

She suddenly felt guilty. She had to tell him, just as soon as this little boy was tucked up in his cot.

"Where does he sleep?"

The question took Yugi by surprise and snapped him out of his daze.

"Oh!" He shifted anxiously at the thought of her not remembering. "This way," he pointed, and steered her to Little Atem's bedroom, which involved climbing some more stairs.

Placing him in his bed, she stood up straight and looked around the room while Yugi fastened the side of the cot side.

Teana took a moment to compose herself. Everything here was so different from her own world.

Yugi turned on a small light that was located on the lower part of the wall near the corner, and then turned off the main light by flicking a tiny switch mounted on the wall by the door, all without using fire!

The little light in the corner glowed green. Atem had told her about buildings that were lit up with brightly coloured lights. They were made using... she couldn't remember what he called it. Amazingly, whatever it was it was not made by magicians, but by ordinary people.

She was stirred from her thoughts by Yugi whispering to her and taking her hand. When he smiled at her and leaned in to gently kiss her, her heart did a flip and she suddenly felt like crying.

She gave him a nervous smile and he winked at her. "I'll make us something nice to drink."

Steering her her out of the room, he took her back down the stairs to the same floor as the room they were in before, but to a different room. She had no trouble identifying the table and chairs as a place to sit and eat, but the rest of the room was beyond her comprehension. If this was a kitchen, it was nothing like the ones back in Ancient Egypt!

He guided her to a chair and gestured for her sit. "What would you like? Green tea or hot chocolate?"

She had no idea what green tea was but was keen to try the chocolate – Atem had mentioned how much he liked chocolate. "Hot chocolate, please?"

She watched as he opened a door, took a container of milk from a box-like cabinet and placed it on the side while he got a small pan from the drawer. "What is that?"

His expression turned to concern when he realised she was pointing at the fridge. "You don't remember?" His thoughts turned back to the possibility that she was concussed. "It's a refrigerator. It keeps things cold."

"Oh!" She felt as though she should be embarrassed for not knowing and laughed. "But it's illuminated from inside! How does it work? Is it like those torches on the ceiling?" It only took him a moment to realise she was referring to the lights.

He looked taken aback. "They... It's called electricity.. Look, I thought you were okay, but maybe... I think I should take you to hospital. I'm worried you've hurt your head. I will call your mum to see if she can babysit." Worrying thoughts about why she had passed out in the first place were starting to plague his mind.

"No!" She blurted. "It's not what you think! I'm not injured. But..." She gulped as the words threatened to glue themselves to the back of her tongue. "I'm not Anzu." She flinched as he paused what he was doing and studied her with an expression she could not read.

He scratched the side of his face and took a breath, letting it back out rather loudly. "What do you mean you're not Anzu?" He was trying to sound calm; humouring her delusion in order not to upset her.

"I should have told you sooner, I know. But I just needed to find the right moment."

He was staring at her like he did not believe her so she continued. "This is still Anzu's physical body, but I'm Teana; Atem's consort and Queen of Egypt."

There was a loud clang on the tiled floor as he dropped the saucepan he was holding, causing Teana to flinch.

"Are.. are you sure?" His mind was working ten to the dozen.

She nodded. "I'm certain of who I am. But I don't know how or why my soul was transported to Anzu's body. Even more confusing is how I can understand your language."

Filled with worry, he took a shuddering breath. "But what about Anzu? Is she... Can you still feel her? She must be in there somewhere. How else would you know how to speak Japanese?"

She shook her head slowly and wrung her hands together nervously. "I'm sorry Yugi. She's not here. But this body is physically healthy so her soul is still alive and well."

He looked at her with wide eyes. "Do you think you swapped places?"

She nodded. "I am certain we have. I don't know how I know that, but I just get this feeling our souls have somehow swapped bodies."

Yugi clenched his fist Angrily, and scowled. There could only be one person responsible for something like this happening. Kaiba had to be be working on yet another dimensional teleportation system.

Bending down, he swiped the pan from the floor. "I'll bet a million Yen Seto Kaiba knows what's going on," he snarled, slamming the pan on the surface of the counter so hard she thought something might shatter.

In fact, she was quite surprised by the amount of anger he was displaying. Atem had told her that Yugi was a kind, gentle soul, who usually came up with rational solutions to the problems they faced. Atem had sheepishly admitted that Yugi often kept him from losing his temper. But like her husband, Yugi clearly had quite a temper as well.

::::::::::::

Seto was busy going through all the data relating to the unintended soul swap between Anzu and Teana, trying to identify what exactly had happened, when his private phone rang.

Only a few people in his closest circle had this number, and even though he was expecting Yugi to confront him at some point, his stomach still dropped when he saw his name flashing on the screen.

He answered it. "Yugi. What do you want?" There was a cold, defensive tone in his voice, which made Yugi suspect that he had been expecting this call.

"I have Queen Teana sitting in my kitchen. And Anzu is missing. I thought you might be able to help with that," he stated, calm and collected.

There was a moment of silence before Seto snorted. "And what makes you think I'm responsible?"

Yugi had his phone on speaker so that Teana could hear the conversation, and he rolled his eyes at her. Teana rolled her eyes back at him. Seto Kaiba sounded equally recalcitrant as his counterpart Priest Set often did.

"Look!" Said Yugi, firmly. "I'm worried. If something's gone wrong, I need to know." Underneath his calm exterior, his anger was bubbling. Kaiba's recklessness could be putting both women in extreme danger.

Yugi's diplomacy impressed Teana. Atem never had this much patience with his cousin, Priest Set, and would have yelled at him by now.

"Fine," Seto huffed. "Yes, I was conducting an experiment. I don't know how the women swapped places, but you have my word that I will rectify the problem."

"So they have swapped places?"

"Yes. They've swapped places."

"Any idea when you can fix this mess? I would like my wife back, and I'm sure Teana would like to be back with Atem."

"I have no idea when. Bring Teana here in the morning. I hope to have a solution by then."

Huffing in annoyance, Yugi thought about his options for a few seconds before replying. "Then I guess we have no choice. But Kaiba! Just one question: are the girls in any danger?"

"Define danger Yugi? If you mean their DNA might evaporate, then I doubt it. If they are planning on doing anything life threatening, like jumping out of a moving vehicle, then yes."

Kaiba sat back smugly. That remark should take the wind out of Yugi's sails.

Yugi did not give Seto the pleasure of a reaction. "Okay. Well, if you are sure they're not in immediate danger, then I guess we'll see you in the morning."

"Good. You have my word that I will find a solution by morning." He hung up.

Yugi cursed under his breath when the line went dead. But Kaiba had given his word and that at least meant something.

He turned to Teana. "Looks like you will be spending the night here. Is that okay?"

She nodded. "I guess we have little choice." She offered him a weak smile. There was no point in the pair of them sitting here all night, worried sick. And if she was going to be here for some time, then the least she could do was sample some of the wonderful things the modern world had to offer.

"I would really like that hot chocolate, if the offer still stands?"

He looked at her. She looked remarkably relaxed for someone who had been pulled from her world and shoved into this one! "Oh! Yeah... I guess." He gave her a small, weak smile, before turning around and pulling the jar of cocoa powder from the cupboard.

She watched as he poured milk into the pan and placed it on the hob to heat up. He then spooned brown powder into two mugs. Understandably, he still looked a little upset. She couldn't blame him after what she had just told him.

To ease the tension they both seemed to be feeling, Yugi put some music on while he waited for the milk to boil. It startled Teana, who had no idea where the music was coming from. It wasn't loud, but the instruments and style of music was so very alien to her.

She gasped. "What is! How?!" She looked around the room in confusion.

Yugi almost slapped himself. "I'm so sorry," he grimaced. "I should have warned you." He explained how he could use his phone to play music through some speakers mounted on the wall.

She was unable to grasp the concept of such technology, but now she was over her surprise, Teana actually found she liked the sound of the music he had described as 'soft rock' coming from the speakers.

Taking the hot milk from the hob, he poured it into two mugs. He placed the mugs on the table and sat down opposite her. "And for an added treat," he winked at her. "Anzu's favourite -marshmallows." He opened a packet and tipped some small pink and white balls into each mug. "Be careful, it's hot," he warned, gently stirring his mug, before scooping up a rapidly melting marshmallow with his spoon. Teana copied him.

Her face lit up at the taste. "Oh, Yugi! This is divine!" She could not think of anything she had ever tasted that was like this. "I wish we could have this in the afterlife!"

He grinned. "Didn't Atem tell you about it? He really likes hot chocolate." He felt a wave of nostalgia at the memory of Atem asking if he could take over their body so that he could enjoy drinking it himself.

"He did say he liked chocolate. He tried to describe it but it didn't make much sense until now," she smiled reflectively. "He has told me so much about his time here with you, but it's always been far too much for me to really comprehend. I will certainly remember to tell him that I like chocolate," she giggled.

Smiling kindly, Yugi studied differences between Teana and Anzu. The way she sat; with her back straight, holding her spoon delicately as she lifted the melting marshmallow. The way she placed the sticky sweet on her tongue was very regal; as befitting a Queen. She didn't hold her hands around the mug, or pull the mug up to her lips and take a noisy slurp. She didn't close her eyes and make any satisfied humming noises like Anzu usually did. It was amusing to see what Anzu might have been like if she too had been trained to be royalty. Mind you, the same could be said of the differences between himself and Atem. He used to be such an untidy slouch until he met Atem. It was amusing how Atem could hold his back so straight it made him look two inches taller!

Taking a slurp, he smacked his lips at the creamy taste of chocolate. He'd excelled himself at making it this time – it was delicious.

He placed the mug back down and fiddled with the handle. "How's Atem doing?" It was such a long time since their last meeting.

Teana smiled. "He's always talking about you. He talks as if you are his brother. He will be forever grateful to you for your kindness and generosity; sharing your life and family and friends with him. He will never admit it, but I know he misses being here. Given the chance of his own body, I feel certain he would love to return."

Yugi smiled reflectively. "I miss him too," he admitted. "Growing up, I always wanted a brother. I was lonely, I guess." For a moment, he looked sad, but quickly brightened up. "Anyway! Thanks to him, I have everything I ever wanted in life. I owe him so much."

She smiled. "You helped each other."

"And now you need my help." He clenched his fist and his jaw set in resolve. "I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure Kaiba sorts out the mess he's made, and gets you home safely."

Teana did not doubt him. He exuded an aura of honesty, trust and integrity; reminding her so much of her husband. He would always go above and beyond what was needed to protect and ensure the safety of others, even if that meant endangering his own safety.

It was a trait she both loved and loathed about Atem.

::::::::::::

Having overcome her initial embarrassment, Anzu was quite enjoying the sensation of having the servants rub pleasant smelling oil onto her arms, shoulders and legs.

"Mmm, what is this? It smells lovely."

"Yours is Lotus oil. Mine is Myrrh, with some cinnamon and rosemary added," Atem answered.

Anzu leaned over to sniff him and giggled. "you will smell like lamb roast," she teased.

He gave her his 'I haven't a clue what you're on about' pout and she nearly let out an unladylike guffaw, but managed to stop herself.

Anzu relished how soft and smooth her pampered skin was feeling, as the two ladies tending her helped her to dress in a figure hugging woven dress, made from the finest Egyptian cotton. It left her shoulders exposed, and only barely covered her breasts, making Anzu feel self conscious about it showing off a bit too much of her cleavage.

A fine collar, almost identical to Atem's, but much smaller, was placed around her neck. It was intricately woven with golden thread and precious jewels, clearly showing her status as royalty. Gold ankle bracelets and arm bands were placed on her limbs. One of the servant ladies then carefully lined her eyes with Kohl and then brushed her hair, before fitting her golden headdress in place.

Anzu gazed at her reflection in the polished mirror. It was nowhere near as clear as modern glass mirrors, but was still good enough for her to see how incredible she looked. "Wow!" Was all she could say.

Atem stepped up beside her in his full Pharaohs' attire. She turned to look at him, majestic, spectacular, handsome. She had only ever seen him in Yugi's old school uniform, or black jeans and muscle shirt. She did see him in the Memory World, There, he wore a simple tunic with a few accessories and his Wings of Ra crown. Sadly, he had been worse for wear after being battered by Bakura and Zorc, and his tunic had been dirty and bloodied.

But the outfit he now wore was deep blue, with gold and red trim. His Wings of Ra crown sat majestically among his wild mane, and the collar he wore that matched hers, but was much bigger to show his status as Pharaoh, glistened with gems. Her collar was heavy enough. His must weigh a ton! But he did not show any sign of discomfort.

His amethyst/plumb eyes were accentuated with expertly applied Kohl, and in Ra's light they reflected little flecks of gold and ruby from the jewellery they were wearing.

She could find no other words to describe him, other than, he truly did look dressed to impress. The boy scrubbed up well.

Hadn't she thought the same thing about Yugi on their wedding day, when she walked up the aisle to see him standing proud in an expensive, tailored suit?

::::::::::::

Rinsing the mugs, Yugi placed them in the machine he described to Teana as a dishwasher.

And then he told her it was time to shower, apparently – whatever that was?!

He assured her it was nothing to worry about. Anzu did it every evening after work.

Apprehensively, she followed him up the stairs, through a bedroom and into the en-suite bathroom.

Seeing the utterly confused, worried look on her face, he realised he was assuming that she understood better than she actually did. He needed to explain this a little better. "Don't look so worried! I can show you how the shower and everything works. These are Anzu's toiletries: shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and stuff. These are mine. Erm.. over here we have my toothbrush and Anzu's toothbrush, and toothpaste." He pointed to each and then scratched his head to think of anything he might have forgotten.

He looked at her. The way she was staring at everything in wonder made him smile, but also made him sad. "They're all things you probably don't have in Ancient Egypt. But don't worry, they are really nice to use. After you've finished, we can have something to eat."

Teana nodded her understanding. "Can you show me how this works?" She peered into the shower cubicle nervously.

"Yeah. Sure." He leaned in and demonstrated the controls for her. He then pointed at the towels on the rail. "The pale pink bath towel is Anz, er.. yours."

Teana picked it up and gasped at the feeling of the hot rail it was hanging on.

Worried she had burnt herself, Yugi rushed to her aid. "Are you alright?" He touched the towel rail to make sure the heating was not on too high and was relieved to find it was not overly hot.

"I'm fine," she confirmed. "It just took me by surprise."

Yugi explained that it was a radiator. They had one in every room, and during the cold weather the heating came on to keep the house warm.

Impressed that heating a house was now so simple, she held the towel to her face. It was so soft and fluffy.

Yugi chuckled at the look on her face. "I should probably leave you to shower in peace. I'll put some clean clothes out on the bed for you. I'll see you back in the kitchen when you are done." Hoping he had explained everything to her clearly enough, he left her to shower while he put Anzu's favourite pair of pink lounge pants, patterned with little puppies and kittens, on the bed, along with underwear, a tee-shirt and sweat top.

He the glanced in the direction of the bathroom. Apart from the sound of running water, it was all quiet in there and he hoped she was okay.

Sighing, he went to the kitchen to heat up the chicken, vegetables and rice.

Teana took off the clothes she was wearing and admired the muscular legs she now possessed. She could tell that Anzu was an extremely fit athlete and vowed to take up dancing again when she got home.

Stepping under the shower, she let out a satisfied hum at the lovely warmth from the water cascading over her. She could get used to this modern life.

Picking up the bottle labelled shampoo, she worked out how to open the cap and tipped it upside down, squeezing as she did so. It came out much faster than she thought it would, filling her hand with full of thick, pale pink creamy gloop, that also spilled onto the floor of the cubicle. She rubbed her toes over the soap on the floor of the shower. How much was she supposed to use?

Shrugging, she slapped the shampoo onto her head before it all all spilled through her fingers and started lathering. She soon had frothy suds dripping down her face and..."Arggh!" Scrunching her eyes tightly shut, she spat out the soapy suds. This stuff was potent!

She was a little more careful when using the shower gel.

Having finished her shower, she shut off the water and stepped out the cubicle to grab the luxuriously fluffy towel. Even though the wealthy had access to the finest linens, Ancient Egyptian towels were never as soft and absorbent as this – she would stay wrapped in this towel for the whole evening if she could!

She realised that she might be taking just a little too long, when she heard Yugi tapping on the door and calling out... "Anz.. I mean, Teana? Are you done? Only, dinner's ready."

"Oh! Sorry! Just coming." The bathroom door opened and Yugi blushed when he saw her standing before him, holding the towel around herself.

He didn't know why he was feeling bashful. Teana might be in control at the moment, but it was still Anzu's body. Under normal circumstances he would reach for her and dinner would suddenly be the last thing on his mind.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he turned away from her. "Erm... I put your clothes on the bed." he pointed at the small pile of clothing.

"Thank you Yugi." She hesitated a moment, chewing her lip while trying to find the words she wanted to say. She felt bad for making him blush and feel awkward in his own home. "Please... Yugi. I don't want you to feel like you can't relax around me."

He glanced at her from under his hair and shrugged. His face was still tinged with pink. "It's just.. this situation must be weird for you. I don't want to make it any weirder." He gave her a nice smile. "I will leave you to dress while I dish up." He scurried out of the room, leaving her feeling even more like she had done something wrong.

Picking up the clothing on the bed, she tried to work out what the elasticated contraption with two cups was. Realising that it must be some sort of container for her breasts, she fiddled about until she got cross with it and hurled it across the room. It looked more like an instrument of torture than an item of clothing anyway. Luckily, the knickers were easier to fathom.

The other items spoke for themselves. She quickly pulled them on and was impressed with how comfortable and easy to move around in they were.

Spotting the hairbrush on the dressing table, she picked it up. It was made of different material but over all its design had not changed a great deal over the millennia.

When she entered the kitchen, Yugi was waiting for her, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry if I acted like a jerk when you came out of the bathroom. It's just, well... you looked just like Anzu. I know you're not Anzu, but you came out of the bathroom looking so.. nice. I didn't know if you would like me looking at you like that..." He blushed. "Anzu and I often... We.. When Atem goes to sleep we sometimes... cuddle."

It was Teana's turn to blush. "Oh! Yugi, I'm so sorry if I.. I must have looked like I wanted you to...cuddle me." She grimaced and they both giggled.

"You grimace exactly the same way Anzu does," he observed.

"Do I? I guess we're virtually identical. Give or take a few thousand years, we could be twin sisters."

"Yeah..." Yugi nodded. "So... while you're here I will treat you like you're Anzu's sister. No more embarrassing moments. Agreed?"

"Of course. Agreed," she nodded, vigorously.

Yugi started spooning rice into a large bowl. Unsure if she would have the same sort of appetite Anzu usually did, he dished up what he thought was a sensible amount and placed it in front of her.

"Anzu is always pretty hungry after working. But if you can't eat it all, then that's okay. I won't be offended."

Teana raised an eyebrow at the huge plateful. As a lady of leisure she tended to restrict the amount she ate, unless she had been out riding and had worked up an appetite. "Anzu must work hard because this would feed a warrior!" She giggled.

He chuckled. "You bet she does." He sat down with his plate of food, which was just as large as the amount he had given her. "We were both in the gym this morning. And then she was teaching dance students all afternoon. She's always either working out or dancing. Anyway! Tuck in."

Teana gazed at him admiringly as he began eating. He looked so like Atem, and yet there were still some unique differences between them that enabled her to tell them apart.

It was not something she ever considered before, but time in the afterlife obviously did not pass in the same way as it did here. Yugi was noticeably older than Atem in years. She was unsure how just much time had passed since Yugi last saw Atem, but she guessed Yugi must be in his mid twenties.

She had not realised she was staring until Yugi looked up at her, mouth poised to shovel in the next forkful.

He put his fork down and looked at her, slightly concerned. "Are you okay? Only, you haven't touched your food yet!"

She startled out of her daydream and blushed. "I'm so sorry! I was just thinking how alike you and Atem are."

Yugi smiled at her observation and was so warmed by a thought, that he decided to voice it. "Me and Atem as brothers. You and Anzu as sisters. It's kinda nice that in different circumstances we could be brothers married to sisters." He rubbed his chin and grinned. "He hasn't grown a beard too has he?"

She laughed. "Oh, no.." She shook her head and grimaced. "I'm not sure it would suit him. But it suits you."

"Thanks. Honda thought he could grow the best beard but Jonouchi challenged him that he couldn't. The three of us then had this bet to see who could grow the best beard and I won! Anzu hates it though. Says it scratches when we kiss," he grimaced. "I'm not sure you want to know about that."

But Teana just laughed. "Thank you for the warning. I will remember that if Atem ever decides to grow one." She scooped up a spoonful of her food and tasted it. She was very impressed with his cooking.

Yugi watched anxiously for her reaction. The dish was one of Anzu's healthy, nutritional meals; low in fat and salt, but packed with balanced carbohydrates, protein and vitamins. "I hope it's okay?"

Teana nodded frantically while chewing. "Hmm," she mumbled, swallowing. "Delicious. Where did you learn to cook like that?"

Yugi flushed at the compliment. "Mostly Grandpa and my Mum. But I like making this because it's fairly easy and can be made in bulk and frozen."

"Frozen?" Teana had no idea what that was, so Yugi explained the concept of refrigeration and freezers.

They continued eating in relative quiet, while Teana pondered on how wonderful it would be to have fridges and freezers in Ancient Egypt. It was usually so hot that food went bad very quickly.

After finishing their meal and clearing up, Yugi put the television on for Teana to watch.

It was yet another invention that she found incredible. How did they get people to fit inside?!

Yugi tried to explain how the images were transmitted, but gave up when Teana decided that she would rather not know, preferring to think of it as magic.

He left her with the remote and went to use the bathroom. When he returned, ten minutes later, he found her absolutely engrossed in a family game show.

He chuckled to himself. Anzu hated game shows. She thought the people who participated in them were attention seekers, and were stupid for allowing themselves to be humiliated in the name of cheap entertainment.

She looked up at him with wide eyes, the flickering light from the TV reflecting on her confused face. "Are those people slaves?"

Yugi let out a snort of laughter and sat down in the chair next to her. "No! We don't actually, officially, have slaves these days. People enter game shows to win prizes; like cars, holidays, cash and stuff like that."

Feeling so helpless, she sagged, realising just how little she understood of modern life. Holidays? Cars? Cash? Maybe the modern world was not as easy for her to understand after all.

He tilted his head and gazed at her with concern. "Is something wrong?" Worried she was about to cry, he gently took her hands in his.

She shook her head and bit her lip. "You are being so kind Yugi, but... I don't belong here. I hope Anzu is doing better than I am."

"Hey!" He rubbed the back of her hands with his thumbs and spoke gently. "You're doing fine. I made a promise to look after you until we can get you home, okay? And don't worry about Anzu. If she can survive in New York, she can survive anywhere." He hoped he was right.

Teana looked at him, confused. "What's New York?"

* * *

**Well, aided by Atem and Yugi, Anzu and Teana are coming to terms with their situation. **

**Hope you enjoyed. **


	5. Fitting In, With difficulty

Thank you for the nice reviews, follows, favourites - it means a lot that you like reading my stories. I will try to keep up the suspense, humour and romance. Right, on with the story.

* * *

Chapter 4.

Fitting In, With Difficulty.

Sticking close to Atem's side, Anzu walked from the shade into bright sunlight, and was assaulted by a cacophony of noise. She and Atem stood between two huge pillars, surrounded by large, muscular guards, each wearing plain white kilts and a belt containing a vicious looking khopesh. Each guard also held a long spear. Anzu wondered why there would even be a need for such fearsome looking soldiers, with weapons designed to kill, in a supposedly peaceful paradise like the afterlife? It was not like they could kill people who were already dead!

She came to the quick conclusion that it was all just for show.

Behind them stood the priests, some of whom Anzu recognised. In particular she recognised Mahado and Mana. They were not manifested as the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, but as themselves, and Anzu wondered if they were still in touch with their Ka's. She still had trouble understanding the concept of a Ka spirit and made a mental note to ask Atem about it later.

Gazing up at the two huge pillars, she felt a sense of wonder as she noticed a massive concrete plinth spanning between them, giving the impression of a grand entrance way. How the heck did they haul that slab up there without a crane?!

The dais on which they were standing, opened out onto a wide platform, with steps that lead down to a raised walkway leading to a temple. On each side of the walkway, thousands of people were crammed into the space, jostling to get a better view of the royal couple.

Priest Set moved to the front of the stage and raised his arms out wide. "In the name of our Pharaoh, I command that you fall silent." The crowd immediately went so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Priest Set looked as pompous as Kaiba did when standing before a crowd, and she wondered if he was thinking of himself as Pharaoh, instead of Atem.

She almost giggled at him.

The silence was broken when Mana did start giggling, and, careful not to smudge her make-up, Anzu had to put her hands over her face to stop herself cracking up as well.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Mahado elbowing Mana, gently scolding her. Mahado's glare was enough to make the girl fall quiet, until Atem looked across and winked at Mana with a devilish expression, making the young mage giggle again.

Anzu glanced between Atem and Mana, wondering if there was actually something going on between them, or at least, had been at one time. Maybe she would confront him. Or maybe Yugi might know the truth.

Either way, she could not resist poking Atem in the side for deliberately teasing Mana and annoying Mahado in the process. She had always guessed that underneath the stoic exterior, was a rather naughty teenage boy – and this display was proof.

If the crowd thought the silliness odd they did not react. However, Set did turn around and glower at the source of the giggling.

Having re-gained his composure, Atem stepped forward and clamped his much taller cousin, and one time caretaker of his throne, on the shoulder. "Thank you Set. I will take it from here."

Anzu was not sure if she was supposed to move forward with him or remain standing where she was, until Atem held his hand out and gestured her to come to his side.

After a short but eloquent speech, he announced that the festival should begin. Immediately, there were cheers, before the huge crowds descended on the numerous beer and wine stalls that had been set up.

"What do we do now?" Anzu asked, hoping that she was not expected to get drunk.

Atem looked at her like she had grown two heads. "We celebrate the festival!"

Anzu groaned and sarcastically retorted. "Silly me for even asking." She was worried at the lack of urgency to get her home. It seemed that all they cared about was the stupid festival.

Standing next to them, Atem's vizier and grandfather, Siamun, raised an eyebrow but did not say anything about her behaviour. Priest Set on the other hand, was quick to comment.

From his lofty height, he looked down his nose at her, and then Atem. "You should not allow your consort to speak to you in such a way Pharaoh."

Consort?! Pompous jackass! How dare he call her by such a demeaning title. He was as bad as Kaiba!

"And you should not talk down to your Pharaoh," she bit back.

Priest Set huffed in annoyance.

Atem grabbed Anzu by the arm. "Will you all excuse us a moment? We will meet you in the banqueting hall." He steered Anzu along the walkway and into an area behind the throne room. There he stopped and placed both hands on Anzu's upper arms.

"I know being here is hard for you. But please try not to take the bait when Set says something caustic. You know what Kaiba's like? Well, Set's no different. If you respond, he thinks he's won."

Anzu sagged, but then straightened up and faced him with her hands on her hips. "I couldn't help it! I'm so tense and worried, but you seem to be acting like nothing weird has happened. And now you're planning to get drunk! Aren't you at all worried about Teana?" She scolded.

Suitably admonished, Atem nodded slowly and chewed his lip. "Yes. I am worried. But I would feel it if Teana's soul was in danger. I'm certain that Kaiba is responsible, and I'm sure Teana is with Yugi, and I trust him to take care of her until we can get you both home. But I have a duty to my people too, and I need to be seen participating in this festival."

"How can you be so certain she's with Yugi? I mean.. what if she's somewhere else, and we're both stuck and I can't go home?"

Atem rubbed her arms reassuringly. "As a Pharaoh blessed and appointed by the Gods, I can sense the fate of every soul in the universe. I would know if anything bad happened."

Anzu stared at him wide eyed. "Really?! Oh My God! What a terrifyingly awesome responsibility!"

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Of course I can't. I just said that to... Never mind. Look. The body you're currently inhabiting is healthy. If Teana's soul was destroyed, this body would cease to exist. So I conclude that she is safe somewhere. And since you are here, alive and well, it's a safe bet to assume that she is in your body."

Anzu pouted and slapped his shoulder. "Then why say something so stupid?!"

He flinched and then pouted sheepishly. "It sounded good when I said it."

She glared at him. "I'm scared shitless and you're making the stupid sort of crass comments Jonouchi would make."

He went to face palm but suddenly remembered he was decorated with Kohl and stopped himself. "I'm sorry. I promise, that as soon as the festival is over and Mahado is sober enough, I will ask him to help me send you home. Unless, of course, Yugi manages to get Kaiba to rectify whatever it is he has done this time."

Anzu gave a nervous little snort of laughter. "I thought after what happened last time, Kaiba might have come to his senses. Yugi has been working with him, perfecting his virtual gaming world, and he said that Kaiba appears to be over his obsession with you."

Atem rolled his eyes. "I warned him when he last came here, that defying the laws of the universe will bring disaster." He sighed. "I just wish he would listen."

Anzu shrugged. "You know Kaiba? He never listens to anyone."

Atem nodded. "We should go and join the festival before they start to wonder where we are."

Vowing to stay sober, Anzu followed him to where priests, high ranking officials and their guests were already indulging in wine, beer, song and debauchery.

Someone handed her a large goblet of wine. Oh, boy! She hoped that Teana was not feeling as awkward and out of place as she was right now.

::::::::::::

The TV game show ended. Teana blinked, still in disbelief at the spectacle she had been watching.

She put her hand up to her mouth and yawned. As if her yawn was infectious, Yugi also yawned.

He checked the time. It was ten thirty. Standing up, he let out another yawn, linked his fingers together and stretched his arms up. "We should probably go to bed." She was giving him a questioning look and it occurred to him that he had not explained the sleeping arrangements. "Not together! I erm.. I will sleep in the spare room."

Teana was not sure what 'spare room' meant. Was he offering to sleep in a storage room?

In the palace in Kemet, she and Atem each had their own chambers, and only slept together when they wanted to share some intimacy. Only the lowest ranked palace staff slept in the storage areas!

She looked at him strangely. "You do not have your own chambers?!" She had been so overawed by all the modern luxuries that she had not noticed his personal items in the bedroom, and had just assumed that the room was Anzu's chambers.

He chuckled with bemusement and scratched his head. "Well, no. We're not royalty so we share the same chambers."

She suddenly felt a bit guilty that he was being forced from his chambers. "I'm sorry. I don't wish to force you from your room."

"Don't feel bad. It's not a problem." He offered her his hand. "Come on my Queen. I'll show you to your chambers."

Smiling at the slight humour he was injecting into his voice, she accepted and he pulled her to her feet.

He was so nice that she felt herself relax slightly, but she was still worried about the sleeping arrangements. "You're not planning to sleep in the storage room because of me, are you?"

Why was she under the impression he would be sleeping in the store cupboard? He cocked his head and looked at her strangely, but tried not to laugh – she seemed so serious. "Of course not! The store cupboard is way too small," he teased. "This is where I'll be." He showed her the spare room, which was just across the hall from the room she would be sleeping in.

Feeling stupid, she blushed. "Sorry... I just assumed that by spare room, you meant..." she groaned, "Everything here is so confusing." Just when she was thinking she could get used to modern life, she was being reminded of how ignorant she was. "I've never felt so out of place." she sniffed.

"Hey!" He gave her a cuddle. "It's okay. You're doing fine." He knew he should feel weird cuddling a woman who was in his wife's body but wasn't actually his wife, but he didn't. Instead, he had the sudden urge to kiss her goodnight, just as he always did Anzu.

Enjoying the comforting warmth from his body, and her own rapidly beating, living heart, she slipped her arms around his torso. He made her feel safe, in the same way that Atem also made her feel safe. Pressing her face into the crook of his neck, she inhaled the fresh scent of warm spice with just the hint of apple. His spiky hair tickled against her face. She always marvelled at the way Atem's hair appeared like it might be made of stone, yet was silky and soft to the touch. Yugi's hair was just the same. It was so easy for her to close her eyes and imagine that he and Atem were one in the same.

Yugi was struggling with his urges. Teana was Atem's wife, and here he was thinking about kissing her! And by the way she was holding onto him as though her life depended on him, he was sure that if he did she might not stop him.

A kiss might lead to more. Anzu's dynamite body always had that effect on him, so it would not be difficult to scoop her into his arms, carry her to the bed and make love to her.

No! It would be so wrong. He could never forgive himself if he took advantage of her. And he was pretty sure he would not be able to shoulder the guilt.

He let go of her and stepped away.

His face was so red it looked like he had been out in the sun for too long, and Teana wondered if she had made him feel awkward by responding to his cuddle. And then it occurred to her; he was only trying to be nice but she was inadvertently teasing him with his wife's body, again. "I am so sorry! You are being so kind and I..."

"No! Don't apologise. It was my fault." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm going to look in on Atem." He hesitated a moment. "Would you like to see him before you go to sleep?"

It had been longer than she could remember since she had gazed upon a sleeping infant. "Yes please. I would like that very much."

It may have been three thousand years since she had nurtured her own sleeping infant, but her motherly instincts were still just as powerful. Yugi's son looked so much like her own small child that she had the urge to reach in and stroke his soft, chubby face. He looked so serene, and her heart fluttered in her chest when his little cupid bow lips twitched slightly as he breathed.

She chanced a glance at Yugi, gazing down at his son with so much love that it made her heart ache with the painful memory of Atem not living long enough to see his own son. He had not even known Teana was pregnant! She had been away from the palace, combining a visit to her family in Pelusium, with her diplomatic duties in order to further cement trade deals for Sinai.

Although originally from Greece, her intelligent, merchant father had made Sinai his home. Thanks to his connections in Greece and beyond, he had quickly risen to high office and gained status in his role as an ambassador for Sinai, with countries they were looking to trade with. He even married one of the King's many daughters.

When he put forward the suggestion that Sinai and Egypt end their centuries old disputes and form a lucrative new trade partnership, he was sent to Egypt to negotiate. Part of the agreement to secure a solid relationship between the two countries involved Teana marrying the crown prince of Egypt, Atem.

She recalled vividly how she had initially hated the idea, and still cringed at the memory of how she went out of her way to be horrible to Atem on their first meeting. But the young prince seemed to find her recalcitrance alluring. When he even had the audacity to tell her she was an exciting challenge, she was incensed!

His attitude had annoyed her so much that she vowed to hate him forever.

However, he was cute, and could also be charming, and despite her best efforts to resist it had not taken long for her to fall hopelessly in love with him.

Their alliance had been announced when they were both approaching fourteen summers.

They had so many plans for their future – Egypt and Sinai's future.

But it was not to be.

When the news had reached her in Sinai that the palace in Thebes had been attacked, and that many people there had died, she was horrified. The news was vague. Something about the Pharaoh going missing and Ma'at falling into chaos, causing endless darkness to descended on Kemet. Rumours of demons from the underworld being set free were abundant.

She had wanted to return to Thebes to be with her husband and the many new friends she had made, but her father forbade it. It was too dangerous.

She was also suffering from tiredness and nausea. The hot weather and stress caused her to faint.

Physicians had been called and they ordered her to rest.

After much concern, her malaise was diagnosed as pregnancy.

She was brought out of her ruminating by Yugi gently tugging her sleeve and gesturing they should leave before their presence disturbed the sleeping toddler.

Back in the main bedroom, Teana felt weepy.

As a spirit in the afterlife, these long repressed feelings never troubled her. Being in the living world must be stirring them up.

Yugi was concerned about her sudden melancholy. "What's wrong?" He took her hand and helped her to sit on the bed.

She smiled at him weakly. "It's nothing. Just memories of a life lived long ago. It's strange how you don't think of these things after passing into the afterlife, but being here brings them back."

Yugi looked at her with concern. "Would you like to talk about it? It might help."

"Everything Atem says about you is true Yugi. You are such a wonderful man. I don't want my nostalgia to make you fell sad."

He shrugged. "Hey! My shoulders can take a lot of weight," he smiled. "I'm stronger than I look."

She let out the breath she had forgotten she was holding and squeezed his hand gently. "Thank you. Seeing your little boy sleeping reminded me of my Heba."

Yugi startled. "You had a child? That must mean..." He swallowed and looked pained. "Atem never knew he was a dad, did he?" It was certainly not in the memories he shared with Yugi.

Teana nodded only slightly. "When he arrived in the afterlife and discovered he had a wife and son, he was so proud. He had not been expecting it and it came as a pleasant surprise. He does not dwell on the negatives."

Out of tragedy, hope for the future had been born. Yugi smiled at the thought. Atem had not only saved the world, but unknowingly he also left a legacy in his own flesh and blood. That was something to be proud of.

"What was he like? Heba."

She nodded, happy to talk about her son. "He loved playing games, just like his father. He once asked me what his father was like, but sadly, the Gods saw to it that my memories of Atem were sketchy. He died in battle, and that was it! Heba was upset at the Gods for erasing his name, but he learned to accept it. He was never interested in claiming his right to rule Egypt. He preferred the freedom his anonymity gave him. He loved the sea and was a successful merchant. He and his wife Nima had five children. Sadly, Nima died shortly after the birth of their fifth child due to complications. Only two of the children survived into adulthood."

Yugi didn't know what to say. Losing memories of Atem must have been painful for them. And death in or after childbirth was common back then, as was death in infancy. "That's sad," he said, sympathetically.

Teana appeared reflective for a second before giving a slight nod. "Yes. Life can be cruel. As can the Gods. But we accepted the harsh reality – it was how it was. Death was not to be feared, merely a transition into a new and beautiful place. So, please don't pity us."

"No." he laughed awkwardly. "I will try not to. People are different these days. Most of us are terrified of death. But since meeting Atem, it doesn't seem as bad."

She tried to stifle it, but let out a big yawn and then looked embarrassed. "Being inside a living body is a reminder of how much sleep the living need."

Yugi tried not to yawn himself. "I will let you sleep. But first, we need to clean our teeth."

She had no trouble understanding the need for dental hygiene and loved the whirring sonic toothbrush. It made her mouth feel wonderful and fresh.

"How did you keep your teeth clean in the old days?" He was keen to know.

She explained that in Ancient Egypt they chewed celery and used a mixture of crushed Iris flower, mint and salt to combat bad breath and tooth decay, which they rubbed on using their finger or a cloth. But it was not very successful because most people had painful gums and bad teeth.

He remembered learning something about that when he visited the Cairo museum and was keen to know if she and Atem had healthy teeth.

"Atem was young and still had very good teeth, but I lived for nearly sixty two summers. I suffered terrible toothache in my latter years. But everyone in the afterlife has healthy teeth and there is no need to worry about tooth decay."

After saying goodnight, Yugi left her and closed the door, leaving just a small gap for the light on the landing to seep in.

She visited the bathroom again, this time to use that incredible flushing toilet.

Climbing into bed, she was amazed, yet again. Oh my Ra! It was so comfortable! Even the finest Egyptian beds were lumpy and hard. They were usually filled with rags, straw and the off cuts from reeds. They did not suffer infestations in the afterlife, but she remembered that when she was alive, the bedding often became alive with bugs, forcing people to burn roach and lice infested bedding.

However, despite the comfort of the modern bed, sleep was still slow to take her.

Yugi climbed into the spare bed and flicked off the bedside lamp. Laying down, he pulled the covers up to his chin and tried to sleep.

Thoughts of Heba not knowing anything much about his father plagued him; how cruel it was for the Gods to punish Atem's family for his bravery and sacrifice.

His mind then turned to Anzu and he started to worry.

After fidgeting about, unable to sleep, he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the dark ceiling. His mind was too active, busily processing all the things that might be happening to her in the afterlife. Atem would take care of her, he knew. But what if it still wasn't enough? What if her soul was in danger by just being there?

He had worked with Kaiba on the development of virtual reality gaming, and knew that Kaiba was trying to create his own alternate dimension. Eventually, he planned for people to be able to transport their mind and soul from the comfort of their bedrooms –or anywhere they would be safe while their body was.. sleeping, and meet other players from all over the world to duel.

But there were problems. Most people did not have strong enough minds to withstand the temporal shift when their minds were transported to their avatar inside the Duel Link Dimension.

At over two million Yen a piece, the suit he created to protect him when he had travelled into the afterlife to duel Atem, was way too expensive for Joe public. It was also unstable, time limited, and in the wrong hands could be disastrous. So, finding a safe way for people to enter this new dimension was of top priority. He was very close to finding the answers, but it had not been tested on anyone other than himself and Kaiba.

The pair of them had entered the Duel Links Dimension and duelled during testing, and knew just how stressful it could be. But both he and Kaiba had powerful minds, and souls that were already connected to the past and could withstand the stress.

He just hoped that Anzu's soul and connection to her past self was also strong enough.

::::::::::::

Sipping at her wine, Anzu decided to make it last as long as possible. She was already feeling out of her depth, and had no intention of getting drunk and drawing unwanted attention.

However, the wine was far better than she had expected, and with Atem too busy drinking and playing games with his friends to pay her much attention, she found herself drinking it way too quickly and was now on her second cup, or goblet, or whatever this utensil was called.

Despite her initial thought that it was weak compared to modern beverages, it went straight to her head.

Deciding she should probably eat something, she made her way over to a long wooden table, laden with all sorts of meats, dips, flat breads, stuffed vegetables, relishes and fruit.

She looked at what was on offer. There was so much choice! And there were plenty of things she had never seen before.

Since she had never eaten fresh dates, she could not resist plucking a plump juicy one from the plate and popping it straight into her mouth.

Remembering the stone, she spat it into her hand and looked around to make sure no one was looking before hiding it under the platter. They really needed something in which to put discarded stones.

She was just about to take another date, when she felt a looming presence over her.

"I can recommend the vegetables stuffed with minced lamb." She nearly jumped out of her skin and looked up to see the imposing figure of Priest Set looking down on her.

"You scared me! Erm, thanks." She abandoned the dates and picked up a stuffed patty pan and placed it on the plate he was holding out for her.

"You seem distracted. And you are avoiding everyone." He pointed over to where Atem was busy drinking and playing some sort of board game with the other priests, while a small group of women, including Isis, Kisara and Mana, were chatting and laughing at Mahado trying to outwit Atem by using magic tricks to distract him – it did not seem to be working.

A brief frown graced Anzu's features and she almost snatched the plate from him, but remembered her manners just in time. It was better that she act normal and remain calm, so as not to give anything away.

She forced a weak smile. "I have a headache. I'm trying to hide in a quiet corner and hope no one notices me," she laughed, humourlessly.

Priest Set must have thought her comment funny because he let out a guffaw that sounded just like the noise Seto Kaiba made when he laughed at someone else's misfortune.

But surprisingly, he almost seemed to empathise with her. "You and me both. I find these sort of events tedious at best. They all drink too much and behave like idiots, and then do things they later regret."

Anzu could not help but giggle. This version of Kaiba actually appeared to have a sense of humour! "Well, I intend to maintain my dignity," she replied. _And my identity, _she thought to herself.

They filled their plates in silence, and then Set turned and walked away carrying his two plates of food, leaving her standing on her own.

She watched him sit down next to Kisara and hand her one of the plates. They looked like a very happy couple and she wondered what Kaiba had made of them when he visited.

Sighing, she looked around the room. Everyone was drinking and having fun. Including Atem! She had expected better of him and was getting a little bit annoyed that he was leaving her to fend for herself.

She was an outsider. She did not understand the customs and trying to fit in was proving harder than she had initially thought: she had already bluffed her way through a conversation with Isis, and now Set was questioning her behaviour.

If she was going to get through this without causing a panic and ruining their celebrations when they found out that Teana had been snatched away and replaced by an impostor, she had best avoid everyone.

Leaving the hall, she stepped under an archway and found herself in the palace gardens. It was like a small paradise compared to the noisy, stuffy hall, that smelled of bodies and booze.

Drawn by an enticing aroma, she slowly strolled along the gravel path, enjoying the tranquillity the garden offered. The planting was extravagant, but she imagined that left untended it could easily become an entangled mess. Bushes laden with brightly coloured scented flowers and aromatic herbs excited her senses. Fruit trees covered in ripe fruit, offering shade from the heat of Ra. For a moment, she wondered if this was what Christians called The Garden of Eden. And then she found herself wishing she knew at least a little about horticulture so that she could identify what the plants were.

Mind you, even she could recognise an orange tree when she saw one. It was next to a pond containing beautiful violet flowers with yellow centres. Smiling, she placed her plate of food down on a bench and leaned over the pond to cup one of the flowers in her hand, inhaling the aroma. She did not have the heart to pluck it from its stem, but recognised the smell from the perfume she was wearing. It was a Lotus flower.

Deciding that this was the perfect place to sit down and eat, she began tucking into her food.

However, a strange sense of melancholy began creeping into her soul, and even though it was warm she shivered.

In the past, she had often wished that she could see Atem again, but now that she was here with him... all she wanted was to go home again.

But what if Atem was wrong and it turned out that she was stuck here forever?

He was certain that Mahad could get both her and Teana back where they belonged. But a soul swap was something she was not sure had ever happened before, so what if it could not be reversed? What then?

Would she be stuck inside her ancestor's body, as a dead person, forever?

She would never see Yugi and Little Atem again. She loved them so much – they were the centre of her world. Without them she did not know if she wanted to exist.

She felt her heart suddenly skip a beat and then beat faster to catch up with itself. Clasping her hands to her chest, she took a faltering breath as her chest constricted and then relaxed.

She was having a panic attack!

Overwhelmed by her fears, she felt tears well up in her eyes. She sniffed and wiped at them with her hand, smudging her neatly applied Kohl.

She hoped to the Egyptian Gods, or whoever was watching over them, that she was not going to have a complete meltdown.

A deep, gentle voice made her leap out of her skin. "I wondered where you had gone."

Distracted from her palpitations for a moment, she looked up to see Atem standing there.

She sniffed, her breath hitching loudly. "You... You were... ignoring me," she struggled to say.

Concerned by the broken, shaky tone of her voice, her watery eyes and the streak of smudged Kohl on her face, he sat down beside her and gently rubbed between her trembling shoulder blades. "I'm sorry if I am neglecting you. It's not intentional. Being Pharaoh means I'm in demand."

She struggled to catch her breath. "I didn't mean to go all emotional on you. It's just... I don't belong here. I'm missing Yugi and my little boy." She gave him a weak smile. "My Little Atem. And I've got all these scary thoughts that I might be stuck here for ever."

The way she said 'My Little Atem' made his heart flutter. He felt so much warmth and love for Anzu and Yugi that it made him feel so flattered that they had named their son after him. It did not help that he was also a bit drunk, and therefore, liable to be a bit soppy.

In response to his emotional feelings, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close. Tears pricked his eyes. His soul might have been tortured in the darkness for three thousand years, but being part of Yugi and meeting new friends had made him feel blessed among men. Feeling loved more than made up for sacrificing his own life; his own family. "As soon as this festival is over, I will get you home. I promise."

He sounded emotional, but Anzu recognised that familiar resolve in his voice. The years rolled back and it felt like only yesterday since she last heard him speak with such resolve. But then it had been through Yugi. Now it was just him.

Hugging him back, she rested her head on his shoulder and gazed at the Lotus flowers on the water – their beauty was fleeting and they would be gone tomorrow, like her. She let out a long sigh. How could she have ever doubted his promise to sort out this mess. Whenever he and Yugi made a promise, they always followed it through. "I believe in you. I'm sure once I get home I will look back and cherish these moments." She gave a little laugh. "It's not often you get to go to the afterlife and visit someone you love. The guys will be jealous."

He wondered at the word 'love' and the context in which she was using it. Her tone of voice gave nothing away; she could merely be referring to shared feelings she and the guys had towards him as a close friend.

But he was not stupid. When he and Yugi were one in the same, he was was well aware of her crush on him.

In the early days he might have taken advantage of that crush; especially after spending three thousand years in the darkness. His feral instincts had told him to take her, enjoy her, ravish her. His host already desired the girl, so why not take her on his behalf?

But something had stopped him.

Deep inside his dark, tortured soul, a small glimmer of his humanity had still remained. It told him that it was wrong to force himself on an innocent girl. It would break the fragile trust his host had placed in him and might destroy any chance his host had with this girl in the future.

Yugi had not realised at the time, but when he made his wish for a true friend he could rely on, the fragmented, anguished soul that Atem had been reduced to, reached out and embraced that wish.

Looking back at how feral he was then, he should have been the last person Yugi would have wanted as a friend. But Yugi's non-judgemental nature had looked beyond the vengeful, often demonic behaviour and forgiven him.

Atem was relieved and happy that everything turned out the way it had. They defeated Zorc once and for all, and with his memories recovered, Atem returned home. Anzu's confused feelings over which 'Yugi' she was in love with had been resolved and they were now a happy couple.

Or so he hoped.

The way she was holding him right now gave him the impression that long buried feelings were being re-kindled.

And it was not just her feelings that were bubbling under the skin – feelings he had always denied.

He had been aloof towards Anzu on occasion – he had needed to be that way to stop himself from giving in. There had been a couple of times, when she had been close, that he had wanted to take her in his arms, kiss her and tell her how he felt.

But it would have broken Yugi's heart and jeopardised their bond.

And now Anzu's soul was here. She looked like Teana. She smelled like Teana. But she was not Teana. There were little things about her personality that made her different. He loved Teana's personality, and he also loved Anzu's personality.

How wrong would it be if he...?

Swallowing slowly, his lips hovered close to hers. He was drunk beyond rational thinking.

Her eyes closed and her lips parted, ready for him to kiss her; the wine and heady scent of Lotus making her high.

He abruptly released her and grabbed her by the hands. "This is..."

Anzu startled slightly. There was a moment of disappointment that he had not kissed her, before she composed herself. She could see by the lustful glaze in his eyes that he was fairly drunk. "We shouldn't?" She muttered.

He frowned slightly and bit his lip. "This is wrong." He remembered how he had once seduced Mana by this pond when they had been drinking. Even if he was Pharaoh and was entitled to such behaviour, he still felt like a right bastard for doing so. "You belong with Yugi, and I with Teana."

"I know..." she whispered. "It just feels so..." She must be more drunk than she thought.

"Natural," he finished for her.

"Yeah, I guess so." She looked down at their hands and savoured the feeling of them holding hers. His hands were not unlike Yugi's. "It must be the wine making me feel this way."

He wondered if he should tell her that Teana always became romantic after a few drinks. Maybe she was feeling some of Teana's bodily reactions to alcohol.

If that was the case, then he should not be behaving like he was. Yugi trusted him. Anzu trusted him. If he took her he would never forgive himself for breaking that trust.

The look in his eyes was now more nostalgic than lustful. "I think about the time I spent with Yugi all the time," he whispered, voice so low it was barely audible. His eyes dropped to their hands for a moment and he gave her hands a gentle squeeze, before looking back up at her face with a sad expression. "Even Yugi doesn't know this: My mother died in childbirth when I was six summers old. Had the infant survived, I would have had a brother. I overheard my father telling Siamun that our family had been cursed for his brother's deeds. At the time, I didn't understand. I was so upset that I got angry at Anubis for taking them. I went to the temple and shouted at him." He snorted lightly. "The day Aknadin forged the Millennium Items, all of our fates were determined. My fate, my family's fate, Bakura's fate, Kaiba's fate, your fate and.. especially Yugi's fate."

Anzu put her hand over her mouth and gasped. "You think Yugi is the soul of your long dead brother?"

Atem shrugged. "Anything is possible. But if my brother's soul was re-born as Yugi, then I am very happy to have him as my brother."

Anzu smiled kindly and pulled one of her hands free to wipe away a tear that was slowly making it's way down his cheek. "Yugi has always wanted a brother too. You filled a huge hole in his life, you know?"

"I know..." Atem nodded and sniffed. "He told me." He straightened his posture, and in an instant, the emotional young man was gone and the stoic Pharaoh was back. "But I have accepted everything that has happened. The Gods have no real control over the actions of mankind, because mankind created the Gods. But everyone makes mistakes, and my uncle made a very grave one when he forged an alliance with the darkness in return for what he thought was the eternal protection of Kemet."

Anzu pouted. "I'm not sure I would be that forgiving. So many people got hurt!"

He shrugged and gave a defiant smirk. "When you're as old as I am, you learn to forgive. Of course, it also helps that I had Yugi to help me learn forgiveness."

She nudged him playfully. "It wouldn't do for you to remain a grouchy old Pharaoh forever."

"Hey! Less of the grouchy!" Feeling slightly embarrassed about revealing his feelings, he made a playful attempt to lighten the mood again by tickling her sides.

She squirmed and prodded him in the side. "Mister grouchy," she teased.

Pausing in the archway leading to the gardens, Mahado watched their playful interaction.

In need of fresh air, and also to talk to his Pharaoh about concerns he had about the strange aura surrounding Queen Teana, he had gone to find him.

However, now that he had found them he was unsure if he should intrude.

Making sure his feet crunched loudly on the gravel, he made up his mind and approached them.

They stopped playing around and turned to greet him.

"Mahado!" Atem smirked. "If you were trying to sneak up on us, then you should probably learn to tiptoe quietly."

Mahado bristled and did not look amused. But he did not take the bait and simply bowed to his Pharaoh.

Anzu had to put her hand over her mouth to prevent an unladylike snort from escaping.

Atem nudged her and made a shushing sound.

She started laughing.

Mahad looked at her with a slightly perturbed expression. Since when did she start behaving like Mana? "I wish to speak with you Pharaoh. In private."

Atem rolled his eyes. "Mahado..." he groaned. "How many times do I need to tell you not to be so formal? We're friends. I have a name." He liked hearing his name being used. It was lost to him for three millennia so he needed to hear it as often as possible, just to make sure it was not lost again.

"Whatever you wish Phar... Atem."

"Thank you Mahado. Now, what do you wish to talk to me about?"

Mahado's eyes darted to Teana, unsure if he should proceed with her sitting there.

"It's okay Mahado. Whatever it is, An.. I mean, Teana can hear it."

"Well! It's actually about Queen Teana's aura. Forgive me if I am mistaken, but it is not Teana's aura that I see. And I think Set has also noticed too."

Atem was not at all surprised they had noticed. He expected that Isis had too, because they also carried the ability of spiritual insight.

He acknowledged his friend's insight with a smile and a nod. "I was planning to talk to you about... Anzu and Teana's situation once the festival is over."

Mahad's expression became serious. Anzu was a living soul inside a spiritual body that mirrored Teana's long dead body, and he was unsure how long her body could sustain a living soul. Her aura was intact at the moment, but he doubted it would remain stable for much longer.

"But, Pharaoh.. Atem. I believe this young woman's soul is in mortal danger."

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please review.**


	6. Concern

Hope you all had a good week. Thank you for all the lovely reviews. I'm never sure how a story will be received so it's always nice when people favourite/follow and say nioce things.

Warnings: This chapter contains some swearing.

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Chapter 5.

Concern.

Around two in the morning Yugi decided that he might as well give up trying to sleep. He got up and peered into Little Atem's room to check his son was sleeping

soundly, before continuing to the main bedroom to check on Teana.

He could not hear her breathing.

He listened harder and experienced a moment of sudden panic when he thought she might have died in her sleep.

He very nearly ran into the room to shake her and make sure she was okay. But then she made a little humming noise in her sleep and mumbled something incomprehensible.

Feeling ashamed, he went downstairs to get himself a glass of water.

Chewing his bottom lip, he thought for a moment and wondered if he should call Kaiba, but decided against disturbing him at such an hour. Even Kaiba needed sleep!

::::::::::::

Seto sat back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was gone two in the morning and he was still no closer to discovering why and how Anzu had been switched with Teana.

But one thing was certain, it had nothing to do with a miscalculation on his part. Some other forces were at play and they had been disruptive enough to distort his transportation conduit.

The situation was frustrating and giving him a headache. "Computer! Run the data through again, but modify the search to include areas outside Thebes. I need to find whoever is responsible."

While the computer followed his instructions, Seto made himself another cup of strong coffee.

When the computer came back to him just a few seconds later with something that raised the stakes considerably, he raised an eyebrow in concern. "Run it through again. I want to be certain."

_**{With respect Sir. That is not necessary, I have already double checked and my calculations are correct. In twelve hours time Anzu Muto's soul will become trapped in the afterlife permanently, causing her living body to die. The soul of Teana will then be without a vessel.}**_

Seto scratched at the stubble on his chin and grunted. It was rare for him to neglect his personal appearance but this was important. He ran through the scenario in his head for the umpteenth time: Someone in the afterlife was trying to reach this world, he was sure. But in the process, they had interfered with his technology and caused Anzu and Teana's souls to swap places, putting them both in a dire situation. "I want to know who it is trying to reach this realm? And I want to know why?" Whoever had done this, was going to pay for the damage they had caused.

_**{Yes Sir!}**_

Not caring what time of the day or night it was, he grabbed his phone and called Yugi's number.

He did not wish to freely admit that he was worried by the idea that both Anzu and Teana were in mortal danger, but he needed to check that the woman with Yugi was still okay. Over the years he had grown... fond (that was not something he would admit to) of Yugi and Anzu. But Anzu was a also a mother, and he did not wish for anything bad to happen to her. Leaving a little boy to grow up without a mother was a trauma he and Mokuba had suffered, and he did not want Yugi's child to suffer the same fate.

::::::::::::

Yugi was still looking at his phone when it started to vibrate. The flashing icon indicated that it was Seto Kaiba. Luckily it was on silent, so would not wake Teana or Little Atem.

He quickly scurried over to close the kitchen door while answering the call.

As expected, Seto's question was blunt. "How is Teana doing?"

Yugi was well used to Seto's terseness and did not bat an eyelid. "Sleeping. Have you found out how to get her home?" There was a hopeful quality to his voice, and for a split second Seto felt sympathetic towards Yugi over the probable outcome should they not find a way to get the two misplaced souls back where they belonged.

"Good. What are you doing awake at this hour Yugi?" He had answered the phone on the second ring, indicating that he had not been sleeping.

Yugi gave a light snort. He could not admit that he was too full of anxiety to sleep. "I just got up to get some water when you rang. Why did you really ring by the way?"

Seto rolled his eyes. It was obvious why his rival was awake. He could hear the worry in Yugi's voice. "I wanted to check everything was okay with Teana."

"She's fine. Like I said, she's sleeping. Why? Is something wrong?"

"I don't honestly know the long term implications should she remain here," he lied. "Get some sleep Yugi, and I will see you here first thing in the morning."

There was a pregnant pause before Yugi added. "We will try and be there by eight."

"Good!" Seto hung up and sighed. Well, that went according to plan... not! But what could he do? If he had told Yugi what he knew and then said he did not know how to save the women, he would have made things worse.

But at least he knew Teana was still okay, for now.

All he could hope was that he would have a solution by the time they arrived tomorrow morning. Yay! For all nighters!

::::::::::::

Yugi went back to bed with an ever growing sense of foreboding. He could sense there was something Kaiba was not telling him, and he was pretty sure it was because he had no idea how to return the women to their rightful place. Either that, or... The worst case scenario was not something he wished to dwell on.

::::::::::::

Yami Marik growled in pain and frustration. Ra knew how long he had been unconscious for, but he had woken to find himself in a spot of bother. He was encased in rock, and when he tried to move he found he was stuck fast. It appeared that most of his left side was now indeed, rock. Just his upper torso, shoulders and head, and part of his right hip were flesh and blood.

He concluded that either the spell was useless, or something had interfered with it. And instead of his soul being returned to Marik, his own spiritual body had been partially atomised and then reconstructed to become melded with the wall of the cave. And fuck did it hurt.

Letting out a yell of pain, despair and frustration, he tried to pull himself free but he could not budge himself from the rock.

"Fuck you Apep!" The bastard had told him the spell was foolproof.

"Help... ME!" But no one responded to his shouts. His location was far too remote.

::::::::::::

Atem closed the door to the office inside his private chambers and leaned against the desk with his arms folded, and with a solemn expression on his face.

Gathered in the room with him, were Mahado, Set, Isis and Anzu.

Anzu slumped in Atem's chair. Apart from being homesick, she felt absolutely fine. The news that her soul was slowly being broken down by and consumed was a chilling reminder that the living did not belong in the realm of the dead, just as the dead did not belong in the realm of the living.

"What are we going to do?" She asked, shakily.

Atem turned to her with a worried frown. "I'm sorry. I should have taken this situation more seriously and acted sooner. I have become far too complacent about Kaiba meddling in forces he thinks he can control."

"Yeah, well you can be pretty sure Yugi is gonna make him sort out his mess," said Anzu, displaying resolve and determination. However, it belied the fact that she was actually pretty terrified of dying permanently.

Mahado chewed his lip. "I'm afraid that it might not be quite as simple as that. While I agree that Seto Kaiba is partly responsible, there is also another, darker force involved." He went on to explain that there had been a clash of technology and magic, creating a chaotic event that would need to be investigated and identified before it could be reversed.

Atem gasped. "What do you mean Mahado? Why could I not sense it?"

"Because you were not searching for it, and because your heka is not as powerful as mine," Mahado explained. "Even I did not sense it initially, because the spell had been blocked from detection. It was only when I noticed that Teana's aura was a slightly darker shade of pink and decided to look deeper into it, that I noticed that there were some small traces of dark magic mingled in. They were so minute that even I had difficulty seeing them, even with my own powerful connection to dark magic."

Everyone started murmuring and talking over one another as they tried to get their own views across.

Who was responsible?

The use of any sort of magic was forbidden in the afterlife.

Why didn't the Gods intervene and stop whoever it was from chanting the spell?

Atem was frustrated, and felt angry that he had not known something was wrong. As Pharaoh and protector of this realm, he had been granted the status of a God, and therefore should have been able to detect the use of magic. But he was seemingly too close to Teana and Anzu for his senses to have picked up on the obvious.

He clenched his fists. "Quiet everyone!" He snapped. "Arguing over this is not getting us anywhere." Everyone fell silent except Set.

"It doesn't matter how well they have covered their tracks. I still intend to find whoever did this and make them pay," he growled.

"I agree." Atem nodded. "We already know that Seto Kaiba attempted some sort of interaction with the afterlife. It is my guess that his intended target was me. However, due to his technology getting tangled up with someone else using illegal magic, Teana and Anzu were the ones affected. He turned to his priestess. "Isis? Have you any insight as to who the culprit is and where he or she might be hiding?"

"I have not been able to find their location my Pharaoh. It is my conclusion that they masked their location to avoid detection." Isis spoke softly, calmly and respectfully. "We should go to the temple of insight. I may have more success there."

"Then we should proceed immediately," Atem replied.

"I will ask Mana to meet us there, " said Mahado, "The pool of insight requires six visionaries," he reminded them.

Anzu did not have the foggiest idea of what they were on about, but hoped she was not expected to jump into it. "Erm... Will this pool hurt?"

They all looked at her like she was from another world – which she was.

Atem took her hand. "It won't hurt. Try not to worry," he reassured her with a rather forced smile, that did not do much to allay her fears.

She gave him a doubtful frown. He had promised they would send her home. But given the urgency and tension in the room, her concern that it was not going to be as easy as he had promised, was growing. She was starting to wonder, if yet again, they were going to end up fighting against some big, bad, ugly that wanted to kill them all.

::::::::::::

After obsessing the rest of the night away, worrying, Yugi crawled out of bed at six in the morning feeling terrible. The sun was coming up and the sooner they were ready to go to the Kaiba mansion, the sooner they could get the women home.

Hoping Teana might already be awake, he tapped on the door, before pushing it open a bit more to peer in through the gap. She was completely still and he panicked. Flinging the door open, he ran into the room and grabbed her by the shoulder, shaking it. "Teana! Teana!"

She let out a startled yelp and her eyes shot open in fear. "Guards!" She shrieked. "Stop this intruder!" Thinking she was being attacked she flung her arm out, catching the side of Yugi's head.

Yugi jumped backwards in alarm. As his heart, and his head, stopped pounding, a feeling of guilt crept over him and he started apologising.

Relieved she was not being attacked, Teana gathered her composure. "I'm sorry for shouting so loudly and hitting you," she blushed. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No. I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about."

"Wh.. why? What's wrong?" She was sensing his anxiety and it was making her anxious too.

He scratched his head. "You weren't moving. I was worried... But you're okay."

"Yes. I am. May I ask why you are so anxious?" She sounded more like an Egyptian Queen giving orders to a servant than his wife, which was unnerving.

Best not tell her his fears. "You want to go home, don't you?" He hesitated, not sure whether to sit on the end of the bed – his bed – or back away, out of the room.

He chose the latter. "I will go and make some breakfast. Do you want some?"

"Yes please," she nodded. "I will join you when I'm ready."

"Then... I'll see you in the kitchen, okay?" He hurried out of the room feeling like a naughty schoolboy. Was it his imagination? Yesterday, she was demure, today she seemed to behaving more like he imagined a queen might. He shook his head. He was just being neurotic.

Over a quick breakfast, Yugi told Teana that his mother was going to take care of Little Atem this morning.

Teana's feelings were mixed. She knew it was best for the toddler not to be there to witness whatever it was Yugi and Kaiba would need to do to send her home and get his real mother back, but she still could not help feeling a little sad that she would be leaving, and most likely never see the little boy again.

She smiled at him, sitting in his high chair, oblivious to the fact that she was not his real mother. He was squeezing his food in his hand and chuckling. He was getting in a bit of a mess and obviously needed some encouragement and a bit of help. But Yugi looked tired this morning and seemed to be very uptight. The stress was obviously getting to him and she felt bad that she was not able to do much to help.

But when Yugi started getting irritable with his son playing with his food, she realised that there was one thing she could do to that would ease his burden a little. "Let me look after him and get him ready to go out Yugi?"

"But!" Yugi began, but then gave her a weak smile and a nod. Anzu was the one who usually got Atem up in the mornings anyway. "Sure. I'm just... I didn't get much sleep."

"You're worried, and that's understandable," she gave him a nervous smile. "I'm worried too. I fear that Seto Kaiba will be unable to undo what he has done but I'm not going to worry myself over it. What will be will be."

Maybe, he thought. But she obviously had more faith in everyone than he currently did. He smiled at her weakly. "There will be a way to send you home. I will make sure of it." He was trying to sound confident, but was not sure if he was succeeding. Teana and Anzu's fate was in the hands of Kaiba, and Yugi had no idea how that was going to turn out, or what he could do if it went wrong. He could only hope that Kaiba would find a solution.

The game store was only a short distance away. Yugi would usually walk, but they were in a hurry this morning so they drove.

Teana was impressed by the convenience and comfort of this modern mode of transport.

When they pulled up outside Kame Game, Teana's heart did a little skip. Atem had told her so much about this place and she could not wait to see inside.

Her heart sank when Yugi unbuckled his seat-belt and told her to wait in the car. He would not be long. He went to get out of the car, but the look she giving him was one of dismay. Did he say something wrong? "Are you okay with that?"

She gave a slight nod. She was going to say yes, but changed her mind. "No. I was hoping to go inside. I've heard so much about Grandpa and the game store." She glanced around at Little Atem in the back. Luckily, he couldn't hear the conversation with the radio blaring and her speaking quietly.

Yugi looked uncomfortable for a moment. "We don't really have the time." A guided tour would raise suspicion, and he did not want to have to explain that Anzu was not herself today.

"Please...?" She pleaded. "Just for a moment. I won't say anything to allude as to who I really am."

He sighed. "Okay. Just for as long as it takes to settle Atem in. But if Grandpa starts trying to get us to stay and help, just politely tell him we will be late for our appointment."

Agreeing, Teana went to get out of the car, but found that when she tugged the seat-belt it became tighter. Thinking she was being asphyxiated by this.. strangulation device, she whimpered. "Help?" Suddenly she was not quite as keen on this mode of transport!

"Like this." Yugi looked at her sympathetically, gently loosening the belt and releasing it for her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Teana then realised she did not know how to escape the claustrophobic contraption.

Apologising for leaning across her, Yugi pulled the small catch on the door. She was relieved when the door opened.

"Thank you," she smiled sheepishly. "I'm no use at this, am I?"

He winked. "You're doing fine," he reassured, getting out of the car.

She waited while he took Little Atem out of his toddler seat in the rear passenger compartment, and then walked beside Yugi as he carried his son to the entrance and pushed open the door. He put Little Atem down and covered his son's ears with his hands. "Grandpa! We're here!" He yelled loudly, taking Teana by surprise. "Sorry! I should have warned you," he told her. "Grandpa is a bit deaf these days, but refuses to wear a hearing aid."

"No need to shout Yugi!" A disgruntled Sugoroku appeared out from behind a display he had been cleaning. "I'm not that deaf!"

"Sorry Grandpa! I thought you were out the back."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind Grandpa." Yugi rolled his eyes and he and Teana shared an amused glance.

"Your mother is upstairs waiting for you," said Sugoroku. He came over and tickled his great grandson behind the ear. "Oh! What's this?" He exclaimed with amusement, using slight of hand to pull a plushy Kuriboh out from behind his back, but pretending to have pulled it from the boy's ear.

"Gangan!" Little Atem giggled and grabbed the toy, his plumb/violet eyes sparkling with happiness.

Yugi raised an eyebrow at his son. "What have we told you about snatching?" He said sternly. Little Atem went all coy and tried to hide behind his mother.

Teana lovingly ruffled Little Atem's hair and bent down to see the toy he was proudly hugging. "Do you want to say thank you to Great Grandpa?"

"Taku Gangan!" He grinned, running over to Sugoroku, who gave him a hug.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't keep spoiling him Grandpa." He was worried his son would start to expect presents every time they came here.

"I've every right to spoil my great grandson," Sugoroku stated proudly. "Anyway! When you're done settling this little man, perhaps you could lend me a hand?" When he saw the exasperated look on Yugi's face, he added. "It won't take long. It's just a heavy box I need moving."

He looked at Yugi pleadingly. Yugi was going to say he would come back later to move it, but Teana also gave Yugi a look, so he sighed and relented. "Okay! I guess five minutes won't hurt."

It took them a little longer than five minutes, as Yugi knew it would, and it was gone eight fifteen by the time they left, meaning they would catch the worst of the morning traffic.

As they prepared to set off, Teana found herself thinking about being back in Kemet.

She had grown attached to Little Atem and Yugi.

There was also so much of this world she had not seen and she wanted to go back to the afterlife with an understanding of all those places Atem had told her about.

She wanted to visit the amusement arcade – apparently, Atem and Yugi smashed most of the high scores between them!

Eat a burger at... she could not remember what it was called, but Atem said the gang hung out there often.

She was about to ask Yugi what it was called, when he shocked her by thumping the steering wheel and letting loose an expletive. This was also accompanied by the car making an unpleasant honking sound.

::::::::::::

Atem tried to calm the turmoil inside of him as they started chanting over a carved stone bowl. If he was tense it would not work.

Anzu meanwhile, stood back and watched.

The bowl reminded her of an empty birdbath and she wondered how on earth they were going to gain any insight from it.

To her astonishment, the birdbath magically filled with a silver coloured liquid.

Anzu did not have a clue what was happening, but she gasped when Atem spat the name, "Yami Marik."

"I thought that entity had been absorbed by Apep!" Mahad frowned.

Isis looked at Atem for clarification. "Wasn't he a manifestation of evil created by an angry young tomb keeper?"

Atem nodded. "He was born from Marik Ishtar's anger, hatred and fear. Theoretically, he is made of nothing but the darkness in Marik's heart. He should not have been able to escape the shadows or be able to develop an independent human form of his own, but somehow, he did! He calls himself Kek now."

Set snorted. "And I would not be at all surprised to find he is acting on behalf of Apep in yet another attempt to disrupt the balance of Ma'at."

Atem frowned as he ruminated over what Set had just said. If he was correct, then everyone, not just Anzu and Teana, might be in considerable danger. "We must find him and put a stop to it. Are you able to locate his exact whereabouts, Isis?"

"Yes, my Pharaoh." Isis turned her attention on the pool of silver liquid floating in the pool. Closing her eyes, she wafted her hands as if trying to inhale whatever odour it was giving off.

When she opened them again and looked up, her eyes were glowing with whatever vision she was being given. "I have found him my Pharaoh." She swished her hand and the water in the pool evaporated. Her eyes returned to normal. "He is inside a tomb, several miles north. However, from what I can see, he may not exactly be much of a threat at the moment. He appears to be in a great deal of trouble and may actually be in need of our help!" She elaborated on his predicament, and everyone startled at the revelation that he had somehow become encased in stone.

"Never mind the threat he may or may not pose," Set stated. "I still intend to bring him back here to face justice before the Gods for what he has done."

"Making him face justice can wait!" Atem interjected. "My main concern is to find out what sort of dark magic he has used and see if it can be undone! Is it possible to extract him from the rock, Isis?"

She nodded. "I'm sure Mahado can undo the spell once we know what spell he used." She smiled at the man she was finally romantically involved with. In life, their duties to their Pharaoh, and to the Gods, had prevented them from doing so, but she and Mahado had been rewarded with love in death.

"Good!" Atem grabbed his cape. Mahado, Set. We will saddle the horses and leave immediately. It will be easier to travel by night. We should be there just before Ra's waking."

"What about me?" Anzu interrupted. She did not like the way they were making plans without including her. Especially since this was about her! "I'm not staying here."

Set turned and looked at her like she had just committed a sin. "You will be in the way. You will stay here with Isis and await our return."

Anzu was furious now. Did he not understand that her life was in danger?! Time was of the essence and they could not afford to waste it bringing Kek back here. They would need to perform whatever ritual they needed to perform to send her home just as soon as they found out what it was Kek had done.

However, it was Atem who quickly intervened, before she said something to Set that would start an argument they did not have time for. "Anzu will come with us! Have you ever ridden a horse Anzu?"

Anzu was stumped. The only horse she had ever ridden was on the merry-go-round. "Not a proper one, as such. But I'm sure it can't be that hard."

Set rolled his eyes. "Oh for Ra's sake. We do not have time to give riding lessons!"

"Set! That's enough!" Atem snapped. He could see the determination in Anzu's eyes, and he remembered how stubborn she could be. "You will come with me," he told her. Neither Anzu or himself were heavy. His horse could easily carry them both.

Stifling the urge to poke her tongue out at Set, Anzu thanked Atem. "I won't get in the way. You have my word."

The horses were in the stable, blissfully unaware, or not really bothered, that their stable hands were sitting with a guard and some of the kitchen staff, at a low wooden table, laughing drunkenly whilst playing a game of Mehen.

The small group staggered drunkenly to their feet, eyes averted to the ground when their Pharaoh, Queen and two high ranking priests appeared.

"Relax," Atem laughed, holding up his hand. "Do not mind us. Go back to your game."

The four men and two women humbly thanked their Pharaoh and settled back down. Anzu was quite in awe at how easily Atem took their worship of him in his stride.

The moment Atem walked into the stable, his horse whinnied, bobbed its head and came over to greet him.

Atem rubbed his muzzle and patted his strong neck. "Hello Pegasus!" The horse made a soft, contented sound of affection towards his master, pressing his head into Atem's shoulder.

Pegasus had been a yearling when Teana's father gifted him to the eight year old prince. The horse was part of a peace offering with Egypt. Sadly, Pegasus had plummeted to his death during the battle with Bakura, while Atem had been saved by Hasan. Upon his arrival in the afterlife, it was a nice surprise when Atem discovered his horse was also here.

Anzu's heart warmed at the tenderness Atem was showing the horse, Pegasus. She recognised the dapple grey stallion as the one Atem had been riding when they first saw him during their trip to the Memory World. But she did have to chuckle at the name. Hang on! Wasn't Pegasus from Greek Mythology?! She decided that now was not the time to question it.

They readied the horses quickly and Atem mounted. Offering Anzu his hand, he pulled her up effortlessly and she settled comfortably behind him, with her hands holding loosely onto his waist

It did not feel too uncomfortable when the horse started walking, but when Atem spurred the horse to a canter, Anzu squealed, wrapped her arms around him tightly and held on for her life!

::::::::::::

Teana gripped the seat. Yugi struck her as such a kind, calm, gentle man, but behind the wheel of the motorised chariot he told her was called a Toyota, he was a bit aggressive!

They were now surrounded by different coloured motorised chariots of all shapes and sizes, and they all seemed to be going in different directions! None of the drivers looked happy and it made her think of chariot races she had seen where they had collided, resulting in serious injury or even death. She found it incredible that these chariots did not all bump into one another.

The traffic ground to a halt.

"Do they ever crash into one another?"

He turned to look at her. "Sometimes," but then he smiled reassuringly. "But don't look so worried. I've never hit anything so you're in safe hands. Sorry if I'm getting a bit angry though, I'm kind of a bit stressed."

She offered him a small smile and was about to speak, when the lights went to green and they set off again. But just as they started moving, Yugi had to stop sharply when a boy on a two wheeled machine suddenly shot off the pavement in front of them.

Teana yelped, and instinctively put her hands up to shield herself, but no impact came.

Yugi growled and shook his fist at the schoolboy in annoyance, who promptly stuck his tongue out and pedalled off.

After he had calmed down, Yugi explained that the kid was going to school and was in too much of a hurry to pay any attention to his own safety. The machine he was riding was called a bicycle.

Teana let out a shaky breath. That had been too close for comfort, and it was only down to Yugi's quick reactions that the boy and his 'bicycle' had survived.

Arriving at the mansion without any further incident, Teana was pleased to put her feet on solid ground again. "I think I prefer my usual chariot," she told Yugi.

Having calmed himself down, he was able to regain his sense of humour. "Maybe Kaiba will take you for a spin in his helicopter or Blue Eyes Jet." he winked.

She looked at him dumbly. "What are they?"

"Never mind. Come on." They hurried up the steps towards the open door, where Mokuba was already waiting. Despite the circumstances, he was still able to offer a smile and keep his voice cheery. "Hey, Yugi! Nice to meet you Teana. Seto's waiting for you. He's complaining you're late!"

"Traffic was heavy," Yugi replied.

"Yeah, thought so. I told him that, but he's just pulled an all-nighter so he's in no mood for tardiness."

"I'll try to remember that," said Yugi, not at all fearful of Kaiba's mood,

They followed Mokuba through the study and down the stairs into the basement laboratory. When they entered the hi-tech laboratory, Seto was hunched over a laptop, typing in code.

He stood up to acknowledge them, looking pale, tired and unshaven from his night of sleep deprivation. He could not be bothered with any pleasant greetings. They were already late and he wanted to get this cluster-fuck over with.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please review.**


	7. Journey

After a hectic week I'm surprised I even manage to get this edited, all be it quickly! so if there are mistakes I apologise.

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yugioh or any of the characters.

* * *

Chapter 6.

Journey.

Guided by the moon and stars, and making the most of the cool cover of the night, they made haste across the desert. They were surrounded by sand-dunes, and although Anzu had no idea how they could tell which way to go by just the stars alone, she felt safe with Atem's horsemanship. However, they had been travelling for hours and all this bouncing up and down was uncomfortable when you didn't know how to move with the gait of the horse and her butt was seriously starting to ache. She would be relieved when they finally reached their destination.

They paused on a small rocky plateau that looked out across the Nile. The light of Ra was just beginning to appear over the horizon, and the sky was beginning to get lighter, as one by one the stars faded, to give way to to morning.

Anzu felt like a small child in the back seat of her parents car, but she could not stop herself from asking "-are we there yet?"

"That's the third time you've asked," Atem was starting to getting a bit irritated but kept his calm.

"Well..." Anzu laughed apologetically. "It all looks the same! Rock, sand, rock. And, oh, look! More sand and..." She shut herself up when she realised she was insulting his home. But the sand was getting into every nook and cranny and it was driving her crazy.

He glanced over his shoulder at her and snorted lightly. "But just look at the River Nile. Isn't it beautiful in the early morning light?"

She peered around him at the river winding its way along the valley. The sun was reflecting off its rippling surface, giving the impression of dancing silver and gold fairies. Fishermen in their small boats were hauling in their nets, eager to see what their night's catch had brought them. "It would be even more beautiful if I didn't have sand in my eyes, and my butt didn't hurt!"

He rolled his eyes and tutted. "Don't worry," he said, patting her leg where it was pressed against the back of his thigh. "We're almost there. See that path, where the cliff face drops down to the waters edge at the bend in the river?"

She nodded and looked to where he was pointing. There was a sandy beach nestled between the reeds, that gave way to a boulder field at the base of the cliffs. Manmade steps carved into the cliffs, some of which had crumbled away to make the boulder field, lead up to what looked like caves dotted around the cliff face, all at different levels. Anzu realised they were in fact, tombs.

"Wow! What is this place?"

"These are the tombs of El-Badari. Kek is hidden in one of them, so that's where we're going."

"I hope they're not still full of mummies," she grimaced. Jonouchi would freak at this place.

He shook his head. "Sadly, most of the tombs were plundered long before my reign. In fact, they date to around eight hundred years before my dynasty. So they are old even to me!"

:::::::::::

Yugi chewed his lip in silence, while Seto explained his latest experiment. He had been keeping it secret to avoid any corporate espionage, which could result in his technology falling into dangerous hands. So far, he had already successfully transported animal test subjects, but this was his first attempt at transporting a living human (himself) and a deceased human (Atem) into his prototype dimension. Unfortunately, there had been an unforeseen temporal distortion, resulting in the portal he had opened becoming entangled with another portal, opened by a third party, and he had been forced to urgently shut down his experiment.

Yugi was more than slightly annoyed with him for trying to play God again. He rolled his eyes to the heavens. "For crying out loud Kaiba! What would have happened if you got... I dunno, zapped into particles and then you, Atem, and whatever this 'third party' is, were melded together into one hideous glob, like that bastardised chimera thing that Aigami turned into when he was fused with the Cube and the Ring?" He shuddered at the thought.

"I'm not an idiot Yugi. Why do think I shut down the transporter? I have safety features designed to warn me if something is not right."

"Yeah, well it was clearly not quick enough to stop Anzu and Teana from..." He shook his head at the terrible thought. "What if something even worse had happened to them?"

"Well, thankfully it wasn't worse and we still have time to save them."

Both Yugi and Teana startled. Yugi narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, time? Is there something else we should know?"

"I was hoping to break it to you a little more gently Yugi, but since you insist on interrupting me each time I try to explain, I have little choice. Anzu's soul will not survive in the afterlife indefinitely, so we need to get her back home before that happens."

Teana gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "No! You can't let her die. You have to do something!"

The colour had drained from Yugi's face. "I knew there was something you weren't telling me. That's why you phoned last night. You already knew!" He said, accusingly.

"I did have some idea, but at that time I didn't have all the answers. But I do now. I ran some algorithms and they all concluded that if Anzu becomes deceased, Teana will be stuck here as a disembodied spirit until we can find a way to get her back to the afterlife, which I'm not even sure if possible given that Atem and Bakura were trapped here, inside the Millennium items for so long."

Teana was visibly trembling now and Yugi was so mortified he had difficulty in forming his words. "Can.. you save.. them?"

Seto nodded. "I believe I can. But first I need to finish explaining what else I know. Initially, I was unable to understand how and why someone else had opened a portal. But I eventually pinpointed its origin to the afterlife. I then traced the source of the temporal shift to a cave, approximately one hundred miles north of Atem's palace in Thebes. Genetic material had been trapped on the edge of the vortex when it re-solidified, and the DNA matches Marik's."

"Marik?!" Yugi gasped. "But why? Marik would never..." He trailed off when it suddenly dawned on him that Marik's banished Yami might have found a way to escape the darkness by getting his hands on some extremely dangerous and volatile magic.

Yugi turned to Teana. "Have you heard of a man named Yami Marik?" She shook her head, so Yugi explained his appearance and how he was born from Marik's hatred and fear. In response, her eyes widened and she gasped.

"You mean Kek! Anubis wanted to destroy his soul, but Atem showed both him and Bakura mercy by allowing them to enter the Fields of Reeds. Bakura went to live with his family, and since Kek had formed a bond with Bakura, he went with him. They gave their word to Atem that they would not cause any trouble, and as far as I'm aware they've been reasonably true to that promise."

"Well, clearly Kek, as he now likes to be called, has broken that promise big time and should be made to pay," Seto growled. That idiot had not only cost him a lot of Yen, he had endangered lives and also further delayed the creation of his own dueling dimension.

"You said you think you can save Anzu and Teana. How do we do it?" This was Yugi's top priority and he was determined to act as quickly as possible.

Seto's expression darkened. "The best solution is to take Teana to the afterlife and bring Anzu back in her place."

"You do realise that this body I'm in is actually Anzu's body!" Teana gestured at herself.

"I'm aware of that," Seto snapped, as though she had suggested he wasn't. "We can do a soul transference once you are both in the same place." He held up a small black case. "I designed this to allow me to transfer your souls once we find her." He was not one hundred percent certain it would work, but he was not prepared to entertain the possibility that it wouldn't.

"I'll go with her," Yugi stated firmly. Seto glared at him but he held his ground. "Anzu is my wife. I'm not going to put her, or Teana in any danger unless I'm there too."

"Fine. But you can't do it without me. The equipment is complicated to use and it will take too long to explain how to use it."

They had already exchanged some harsh words when Mokuba and Sara had discovered what Seto had been doing. He had made a promise to stop his experiments and Mokuba was still seething at the knowledge his brother was still playing with inter dimensional travel in secret. And now he was talking about going to the afterlife again! "Are you sure there's no other way Seto? You know how angry and upset Sara is over this. You promised her you wouldn't do any more stupid things. How do you think she'll react when she finds out you've gone back on your word and travelled to the afterlife?"

Seto narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother. "Because she won't find out." Even though he was glaring, Yugi could still see a tinge of guilt in his expression.

Mokuba gestured in exasperation. "I'm not lying for you again!"

"Then don't. She's taking the twins to playgroup this morning. We'll be back before she comes home," said Seto, defiantly.

Mokuba rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine! But if she does find out, don't expect me to cover for you." He slumped down behind the control panel. How many times had he been in this situation? Left manning the controls while his brother went on some stupid virtual reality quest, or even worse, an alternate dimension.

There was definitely a bad atmosphere between the brothers, and Yugi did not know what to say that would lessen the tension and hostility. He could tell Mokuba they would be fine. He could say he would make sure his brother came back safely. But Mokuba was not a little kid any more and would just roll his eyes and laugh at him sarcastically.

Luckily, Teana did know what to say. "I'm sorry if your brother has upset you Mokuba, and I'm sorry he has to go to the afterlife again. But he is doing this for myself and Atem, and for Yugi and Anzu. If there was another, safer way, then I'm sure he would choose it."

Mokuba's stern glare softened. "Thanks Teana. Just don't let him do anything stupid. If he tries to stay and challenge Atem to a duel, stop him, okay?" A bitter smirk creased up one side of his face, making Seto roll his eyes.

Once they were suited up and ready, Seto began the countdown. The theory was that the monitor attached to Teana, should lock onto Anzu's biological signal and transport them to the same location.

Even though Seto and Yugi had done this before, the gravitational forces as they were pulled through the multiverse were still just as uncomfortable and disorientating as the first time they did it. But they navigated to the afterlife without any issues.

Teana had been asleep when she had been pulled from the afterlife and pushed into Anzu's body, and had not really been aware of what was happening. This time, she felt the full impact and it made her feel very queasy.

Despite Seto carefully plotting their coordinates to make it a soft landing, they landed with an undignified thump on the sandy beach close to the boulder field beneath the cave in which Kek's signature had been located.

Glancing to his left, Seto was relieved they missed the boulders when they landed.

::::::::::::

Atem and Anzu were just dismounting when they heard a rumble. The horse let out a frightened squeal and shied away from the static forming close by. Luckily, Atem had a tight hold of the reigns or Pegasus might have bolted.

Mahado and Set steadied their own horses. They instantly recognised the static as powerful magic being used to open a dimensional portal – something which required an incredible amount of heka. Using this much power was prohibited by the Gods. But even given permission it would take Mahado several hours of meditation, and would require the help of an additional, equally powerful magician to help maintain the portal. It never failed to amaze him that Seto Kaiba, who claimed not to believe in magic, had that much power at his fingertips.

The portal opened about eight feet above the ground and three familiar people were spat out onto the sand.

With pained groans, the trio rubbed their bruised pride, sat up and looked around. They were extremely surprised to see four, familiar, but similarly surprised faces gawking at them.

Anzu was the first to break free from her surprise, and despite her concerns that Yugi might be putting himself in danger by coming here, she was still relieved to see him. "Yugi!" She ran over to her husband and fell to her knees, hugging him where he still sat on the ground. "What are you doing here?"

Hugging her in return, he gave a little chuckle – wasn't it obvious why he was here? "I'm here to save you and Teana! Are you okay?" Keeping hold of her hands, he stood, pulling her up with him. Looking her over carefully, he was relieved to see that she looked perfectly okay. He had sort of grown used to Teana inhabiting his wife's body, but it was strange seeing Anzu in Teana's body. It was slightly plumper and more curvy than her own body, and reminded him of Anzu's seventeen year old body, which he found rather nice. He gulped. He was not sure he should admit that to her – she put a lot of effort into staying lean for her vocation.

"I'm fine, all things considered," she answered, self conscious at the way he was looking at her. She knew that look and would take it up with him later, when they got home.

Gently taking her hands and helping Teana to stand, Atem was equally relieved to see his wife safe and well, even if it was a little odd to see her in Anzu's body, dressed in one of Kaiba's dimensional travel suits. It hugged her figure and she looked rather sexy, he thought, chastising himself when he remembered that this was Anzu's body. He was slightly hesitant, unsure if he should hug her though.

The decision was taken out of his hands when she threw her arms around him.

Having been greeted by their respective wives, Yugi and Atem turned to each other.

It was a long time since they had seen each other and the dynamic had certainly changed between them.

Time stood still in the afterlife, and the inhabitants could choose their appearance. And while younger people rarely bothered to look any different, when old people arrived they wanted to look young, handsome and strong; just as they had in their prime. When Teana died in her sixties, she had chosen to look as she had when Atem had last seen her. She remained this way for three Millennia while awaiting his return.

Being young when he had died, Atem had not given his appearance any thought when he did finally enter the afterlife, and appeared exactly the same as Yugi remembered him when they last met. Even though his soul was three thousand years old, with the wisdom to go with its age, physically, he still looked like a teenager.

At twenty seven, Yugi was now ten years older than Atem in appearance, and he was also a good head taller than the boy whom he had once called 'Other Me'.

These days, it actually made Yugi cringe when he thought about how he was once so weak and timid that he had allowed the other boy's spirit to protect him and his friends. But looking at Atem, Yugi could not help feeling that as the grown up one, he should now be the protector.

It was also hard for him to ignore the generation gap between them and Yugi was not sure what to say, so he said the stupidest thing he could think of. "Hey! Good to see you, Other Me!" The corner of his mouth curled into a humorous smirk and he winked.

Atem was in awe of the man in front of him. He was no longer the little guy he called Aibou –he was almost a stranger! And while it made him a little sad to think they had grown so far apart, it also made him feel immensely proud of the strong, confident man Yugi had become.

It was obvious by Yugi's body language that he too felt there was now a distance between them. But when Yugi smirked and used his old nick name for him, it broke the ice and he had to smile. "Good to see you Aibou"

Moments later, the pair were locked in a bone crushing hug. It did not exactly feel as if they had never been apart, but their souls certainly felt the old pull of familiarity. It made them both realise that no matter how much time passed, or how great the distance was, their souls were forever connected. They could even share thoughts and Yugi chuckled when Atem relayed the thought that he would love the opportunity to get revenge for his defeat in the Ceremonial Duel.

Sadly, there was no time to catch up on gossip, or play games, because their wives were still in danger.

"Another time." Yugi squeezed Atem's shoulder. "Kaiba has found a way to get the girls back in their correct bodies. We shouldn't waste any more time."

Stood next to each other Seto and Priest Set eyed one another cautiously. They also felt a connection, but sentimental greetings were not their style and they merely nodded briefly, before Seto got down to the business of explaining why they were here.

Mahado did not trust this arrogant man's technology. Mahado was a man who trusted, and relied upon, ancient magic. It was gifted him by the Gods and he had total control over it. Seto Kaiba's technology did not belong here and it worried him. It was also still fresh in his mind how the Gods had been forced to bestow their power on Yugi to summon Atem, who in turn had summoned Mahado's soul to defeat the terrible fusion of the Ring and the Cube.

Seto Kaiba had been the one complicit in that whole, sorry string of events, that nearly cost the living world to be swallowed by chaos. "You say you are a non-believer and yet you continue to interfere with the structure of the multiverse in your attempts to find what you claim not believe in. And as usual you have endangered innocent people. I cannot allow you to use your technology here Seto Kaiba."

Seto just laughed. "If you have a better solution then go ahead, bore me."

Mahado bristled. He wanted to strike him down but refrained. "Do you have no sense of guilt for what you have done? Your technology holds no place in this realm and I would urge you not to interfere further."

"Or you'll do what? Turn me into a toad? I'm done with your foolish defence of your ridiculous magic. If it wasn't for that idiot up there in that cave playing with spells, my technology would have succeeded."

Priest Set appeared to be enjoying the argument. His future self was even more impressive than he himself was in dealing with Mahado.

Furious that their heated debate was not really helping, Atem stepped in. "Enough!" He commanded. "No disrespect Mahado, but if Kaiba's technology works, then that eliminates the need to rely on Kek giving us the name of the spell he used."

They all glanced up to the opening in the cliff face. That's right, for Mahado to initiate a successful reversal of the spell, meant examining the crime scene and interrogating Kek. Not an easy task.

Despite conceding, Mahado was still not too sure, but if Atem trusted Seto Kaiba then it was not his place to disagree. "Very well. But if it fails, then we will revert to our original plan."

"Agreed," Atem nodded. "But do not fear Mahado, Despite its often ill advised usage, Kaiba's technology is highly advanced and I have faith it will work."

Yugi cleared his throat. "I guess the sooner we do this the better then?" He was worried and wanted to get it over with.

"Don't look so worried Yugi," Seto smirked. "You should know better than anyone, Kaiba Corp. products never fail."

Atem rolled his eyes. Kaiba was as arrogant as ever. "Let's get it done," he sighed wearily.

"What do we need to do?" Anzu interjected nervously.

Nodding, Kaiba produced two chest straps, containing slots for two ten centimetre in diameter discs, that were one and a half centimetres thick. "You put these straps around your chest so that the disc slot is positioned over your heart." The girls did as instructed. Seto then slotted the two discs into the disc slots. He then plugged a wire into Anzu's chest unit and told Teana to stand facing her so that he could plug the other end of the wire into her unit. He then took out his mobile phone and started tapping the touch-pad. Everyone waited nervously for something to happen.

Both girls eyes widened as they started to feel a pulse wave coursing through their bodies.

Yugi and Atem gasped and had to be physically restrained from running over to them, when they started glowing and looking slightly distressed. Suddenly, both women screamed in pain and their bodies went rigid. There was a flash and both women collapsed to the ground.

Seto frowned. Something was not right.

Mahado let go of Atem so that he could tend his wife. Atem dropped to his knees and cradled her head and called her name, but got no response. He looked up with a furious expression and rounded on Seto. "Kaiba! What have you done?"

Seto glared back at him. "I'm not sure. There was some sort of interference. I think the atmosphere here is too pure."

"Pure!" Yugi retorted. "How can atmosphere make a difference?" He was fuming. Priest Set still had a grip on him from where he had restrained him from running to Anzu. But despite the difference in size and strength, he shoved the priest off and ran to Anzu.

He knelt down beside her and touched her face. She was not responding to his touch, but at least she was breathing.

Mahado joined them and held his hands over each woman in turn. "Their souls are still intact."

Atem breathed a sigh of relief that their souls were at least still here.

But were they back in the right bodies?

Neither Mahado or Seto Kaiba was able to answer that question.

A pair of muffled moans confirmed the women were both waking up. Yugi and Atem helped them to sit, studying them for signs that they might be hurt. They were still hopeful that the soul transference had worked.

::::::::::::

Kek had been turning the air blue as he struggled to get free, but it was no use, he was stuck fast.

He stilled when he heard noises in the river valley below. Listening intently, he tried to make out what was going on.

Horses hooves. Several of them.

Stuck in the tomb it was hard to hear more than the whinny of the horses echoing through the valley. The horses sounded like they had been startled.

Then he heard muffled voices immediately below his tomb. They were arguing about something.

And then he heard the distinctive voice of Atem shout a command.

So, they had found him.

There was no doubt that the Pharaoh would punish him harshly for his indiscretion. He had promised the boy King that he would abide by the rules of this place, but had slipped up big time.

His soul was screwed, that's for sure.

So, rather than shout for help, he stayed quiet in the vague hope that they would bugger off and look elsewhere.

* * *

**Thank You for reading. **

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	8. Moment of Truth

Warnings: There is some swearing from a certain individual in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 7.

Moment of Truth.

An awkward silence settled over the group while they waited. All eyes were flitting between Seto and the two women, still unconscious in their respective husband's arms.

Mahado's eyes gleamed with fury. He knew it! He'd had a feeling Kaiba's technology would fail, but had not wanted to question Atem's judgement.

Aware of the way the magician was scrutinising him, Seto narrowed his eyes at Mahado. "Don't you dare say a word until we are absolutely sure it hasn't worked."

Mahado's anger dissipated slightly, only to replaced by exasperation as he held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I am not one to judge the failings of modern technology," he replied, calmly.

Seto's top lip twitched in annoyance. This man...! He exuded an enviable aura of power and knowledge, that felt as if it might crush you at any moment, and yet the mage seemed to be in perfect control of his power. He would not be at all surprised if Priest Set found the mage just as irritating as he did.

But Priest Set was keeping quiet at the moment, and had his arms folded, with a look of mild amusement on his face.

Priest Set was finding the tension between his future incarnation and Mahado amusing. His own conflicts with Mahado, over how to provide protection to their Pharaoh were legendary among palace officials. It irritated Set no end that despite his advanced military training, tactical knowledge and expertise, Atem was always willing to put his trust in Mahado.

To this day, Set still believed that if he had been allowed to deal with the threat from Bakura his way, they would have been able to kill Bakura before he got his hands on the Millennium Items. But Mahado had pulled that irresponsible stunt inside the tomb and got himself killed. Once Bakura had his hands on the Ring and fused with its evil, he had become an unstoppable force in paving the way for Aknadin to open the door to chaos and release Zorc.

But this was not a time to be reflecting on long past mistakes, or getting involved in arguments with Mahado over it. Not when there was the evil, twisted product of an errant Tomb Keeper hiding in a nearby tomb.

Their top priority was to first ensure Teana and Anzu were unharmed, and then go and deal with Kek.

He glanced up towards the old tombs dotted about the rock face. He just hoped that Kek had not heard them because they were making enough racket to wake Imhotep, which hopefully would never happen!

Grinding his teeth, he stepped forward. "Enough bickering! I think it's time we interrogate Kek."

Atem looked up at his cousin, friend, priest and caretaker of the Kingdom while he was absent all those years. They had never really seen eye to eye when they were both alive, but Atem valued Set far more than the priest actually believed.

He was about to agree with Set, when they heard a small groan from each woman.

Everyone looked anxiously at Teana and Anzu, waiting to see if they were now in their correct body.

Both women simultaneously put a hand up to their face and groaned as their eyelids flickered open.

They looked at each other and shook their heads in dismay. "It didn't work," Teana sighed.

They both glared at Seto Kaiba. "Thanks for the headache, Kaiba," Anzu grumbled, rubbing her throbbing temple.

Seto bristled. "If you weren't both so stubborn, it would have worked." Despite his lack of an apology or any sympathy for the suffering he may have caused, he was still relieved to see they had not been harmed.

Yugi stood, helping Anzu to stand as well. He then turned and glared at Seto. "What went wrong Kaiba?"

Seto was perplexed. He really did not know why it hadn't worked. "Until I run a diagnostic, I can't answer that."

Atem was frustrated with himself for allowing this to happen. Rather than trust Mahado to find a solution, he had put his faith in Kaiba and it had been a mistake. "I'm not wasting any more time on your technology Kaiba. Mahado will deal with it from now on. If you still want to run your diagnostic, I suggest you stay here and do it. We're going up there to get Kek."

"Fine," Seto bristled. "But I need Teana and Anzu to remain here as well. I need to check their transference devices. If I can find what went wrong, I should be able to correct it and try again."

Atem sighed. He wanted to tell Kaiba not to bother, but he knew that if for some reason Mahado was unable to extract the necessary information from Kek, they might well need Kaiba's device again. "Okay. Carry out whatever checks you need." He turned to Yugi. "I want you to remain here too Yugi – keep an eye on things. Mahado, Set and I can deal with Kek."

Yugi wanted to go with them but he accepted that he knew nothing about ancient magic. Cautiously, he nodded. "Don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?"

Patting Yugi's shoulder affectionately, Atem smiled at him for his concern. "Don't worry Yugi, we won't." Turning away from his friend, he gestured to Set and Mahado to follow him.

Picking their way across the loose sandstone rubble at the base of the cliff, they started their ascent.

The cliff was not completely vertical and there were plenty of foot and handholds, but the rock was crumbly and rivulets of sand trickled down as they began the approximately thirty foot climb to the ledge below the tomb Mahado had identified as the one in which Kek was hiding.

Atem was light and nimble; a natural climber. Set was strong but was more suited to hand to hand combat than climbing cliffs. Mahado was also a powerful man, but he hated this type of physical activity, and although he would never admit it to anyone, he was actually afraid of heights.

Atem was already halfway up before the other two had even left the ground. When he looked down to check they were behind him, the loose piece of rock he was holding dislodged itself causing him to slip.

Teana and Anzu both gasped loudly and covered their faces, while Yugi flinched.

Seto glanced up from his work, rolled his eyes and snorted. "Moron would get himself killed if he wasn't already dead."

Anzu scowled at him. "That's in poor taste, even for you."

"Look out!" Atem yelled, steadying himself and looking down at his two colleagues. He was relieved to see that the two priests had managed to dodge the falling rock.

"We're fine," Mahado called back. "But please, take more care," he added, tactfully.

Priest Set was less tactful in his response. "Idiot!" He barked. "Make sure the rock is stable before pulling yourself up!" His younger cousin was always far too reckless when it came to showing off his athleticism.

They reached the small ledge below the entrance to the abandoned tomb without further incident.

Atem looked down and waved at his wife and friends below.

From up here, looking out across the Nile the view was stunning. It was easy to see why wealthy people in this region had chosen this place for their burials. Atem remembered passing through here on the Royal barge as a child, and being told that tombs had been built here about eight hundred years before, but had been abandoned after a series of earthquakes. The tombs were soon plundered by thieves and most of them had been emptied, bar a few broken pieces of pottery and scattered bones from the ransacked mummies.

Atem found that rather sad, as did his two companions. Theirs was a culture that revered the Gods, and they were supposed to respect the dead. They put so much effort in preparing for their death, and yet had no qualms about desecrating someone else's mummy in order to steal the jewels hidden in the wrappings; jewels that were supposed to be offering to the Gods.

However, there was little time to spend pondering on the misfortune of those whose tombs these had once been, because hidden inside this one was a man who seemingly respected no one, dead or alive!

::::::::::::

Kek snarled low in his throat when he heard the sound of his unwanted visitors. They were on the ledge outside and were making too much bloody noise for someone wanting to mount a surprise attack on him. He felt weak and vulnerable in his current state, and found it humiliating that they were not afraid of him – everyone was supposed to fear his nasty, vindictive nature.

His left eye bulged and twitched, as it always did whenever he became agitated or stressed.

Suddenly, three silhouettes were blocking the small amount of sunlight entering the tomb, and to add insult to injury they were laughing at him.

"Ha, ha, very funny. Either get me out of here, or fuck off." He picked at a rock with his free hand and threatened to throw it.

Mahado opened his hand and a small orb of light illuminated the cavern they were in. It was fairly roughly carved, indicating that this was not the tomb of someone of very high status; such as a high priest or priestess, but whoever it was still had at least enough wealth to be buried here.

Priest Set bristled with annoyance and kicked the stone from Kek's hand, causing the man to yelp and let forth a string of expletives.

Ignoring the tirade of abuse aimed at their sexuality and family heritage, Atem's eyes were drawn to the far corner of the tomb, where a few scattered bones lay among the rubble that had fallen from the roof. This tomb had been well and truly looted.

Having scanned his surroundings, Atem's eyes fixed on Kek. His eyes narrowed to a glare, while the corner of his mouth curled into his trademark smirk. He instinctively folded his arms as he looked down on the snarling, venom spitting man. "Why don't you tell us how you ended up in this situation first? Then I will decide your fate."

"Why do you even care Pharaoh?" He sneered sarcastically. "I can't imagine you came all this way because you were worried about me!"

Set bristled furiously, but did not allow the petulant creature before him to see how riled he was. "No, we're not worried about you, but we are concerned about the use of an illegal spell. What spell did you use, Kek?"

"How should I know?" He tried to shrug, but it was difficult in the position he was in. "You're the experts. Guess." He grinned, exposing his vicious looking canines.

Mahado's jaw clenched. The usually calm, controlled mage was that close to letting fly a spell that would turn this spawn of evil into a dung beetle.

Priest Set huffed. "We're wasting our time here. Let's leave him to rot. Mahado. Are you able to identify the spell from the residue left behind?" He already knew that there was not enough left because the temporal shift had destroyed much of the evidence, but Mahado guessed the bluff and nodded.

"Yes, I believe so." He closed his eyes and pretended to be reading the residual signature left by the spell, but all he could pick up was the use of a couple of generic herbs and the blood of scarab beetles. These were items used in many spells.

Smirking in mock triumph, Mahado turned to Kek. "Only a fool would use such a dangerous and risky spell, and I am looking at the King of Fools," he scolded.

Kek bristled and pouted like a scolded schoolboy. "Okay, okay! So, I took a stupid risk. But please don't leave me here? If you release me, I promise not to pull any more stupid pranks."

"You think this is just a prank?!" Atem retorted, in a strong voice that made even Kek flinch.

"If you wish to be released, give us the details of the spell you used...?" Priest Set spat.

Kek looked at him in confusion and then laughed mockingly. "Hah! You don't really know the spell I used, do you magician?"

Mahado frowned. Set's slip up had given the bluff away. "Not quite enough to know exactly the spell you used. But I can take a guess. However, if I guess wrong, you could end up a flailed, bloody mess," Mahado told him.

Kek growled at him. "You're bluffing."

"We do not bluff in situations such as these," Set snarled back at him.

Kek let out a long sigh and thought about it. He did not wish to remain here forever. He did not want to be flailed either! But he really did not wish to give in to the three wise monkeys that were gloating over him. He chewed his lip, studying each of them in turn. They had the upper hand and he was at their mercy. Accepting that he really did not have much of a choice, he sighed. "I'll give you the fucking spell. But only if you free me first."

Atem shook his head slowly and snorted. "Do you really think we're that stupid?" He stated calmly and coldly. He then raised his voice to bellow at Kek. "Now, tell us the spell? Unless you would rather we condemn you rot in the belly of Apep?"

Kek startled and blinked, before cringing with the embarrassment of allowing himself to be intimidated by this boy King. He growled in defeat.

Mahado nodded knowingly as Kek told him the spell, and how he had obtained it.

He should have guessed. It wasn't a difficult spell to recite, but in the wrong hands could be catastrophic if it became contaminated. In some respects, Mahado felt that Kek had been unlucky reciting the spell at the exact same moment Seto Kaiba activated his inter-dimensional technology. The vortexes had crossed and the two had become a tangled confusion of magic and technology. But how on earth Teana and Anzu's souls had been caught up inside and swapped was a mystery. He could only assume that it was because their genetics were the closest matching at the point where the vortexes had crossed.

It might take a little while to gather the energy required, but he was fairly sure he knew of a spell that would place the two women back in their correct body, without Seto Kaiba's help.

"You have what you want. Release me," Kek demanded in a slightly pleading tone, bringing Mahado from his ruminating.

Mahado raised his brows and looked to Atem for confirmation that it was okay to do so.

Atem thought about it for a moment. Since being given a second chance Kek had seldom caused any trouble. He had formed a close relationship with Bakura, and the pair often entertained themselves by stealing from merchants. The merchants sometimes complained to Atem's court that there was no need to steal when there was enough food and fine clothing for everyone in the afterlife. But Atem told them to humour the pair and put up with it for the sake of keeping the peace. The merchants argued that the afterlife was no place for two such wayward, wicked souls. But Atem's word was final and they accepted it.

However, looking at the angry individual stuck in the rock, spitting venom at them, Atem was starting to have reservations about giving him another chance when he had clearly committed a serious crime. As a God among his people, Atem only had to give the word and Kek would be banished from the afterlife; his soul fed to Ammit, to be absorbed by the destructive Gods of Darkness and Chaos.

However, although Kek had originally been nothing but a manifestation of the darkness in Marik's heart, he had grown to become a soul in his own right. To begin with his soul had known nothing but the vengeful anger and hatred pushed onto him by his host. But when Atem had met him on his way to the Fields of Reeds, he had seen glimmers of light starting to grow within his soul.

The light meant that there was hope, and Atem was unsure if he could be so cruel as to extinguish that light, and with it that light's hope.

Growing up, he had seen enough people judged by the Millennium items and punished for their crimes, all in the name of justice. Upon inheriting the Millennium Puzzle, he had been the one expected preside over that justice. He had seen too many people on their knees, begging forgiveness, and then writing in agony as part of them was stripped away. Few were grateful, and many were so dependent on their Ka for their personality that they were left mumbling, weak, lobotomised cretins, who were unable to fend for themselves.

He would not describe Kek as a true Ka. But he had still been a personality created by Marik, to be used as a scapegoat that Marik could blame his vengeful behaviour on.

For Atem, the sorry sight of Kek trapped in stone; a being abandoned by his original creator, reminded him of those Ka trapped inside stone slabs.

He turned to Mahado, who was awaiting his next instruction. "Can you free him?"

"I can," he confirmed. "But is that wise?"

"Everyone deserves a chance. His soul was created in darkness, but I can see glimmers of light and hope. And I'm sure you see it too."

Set scowled. He had to agree that he did see it. But just because there was a glimmer of light, it did not mean that Kek was capable of redeeming himself. If a battle ever took place in the heavens and he chose to align himself with the darkness, he would be a formidable enemy.

"You can't seriously be considering letting this monster walk free, are you, Pharaoh? What if he turned against us?" The demand in his voice was forceful, but Atem was not intimidated by it and he smirked, giving a light snort.

"Trust me Set. I know what I'm doing." He turned to Kek, who seemed amused by the debate on his future. "You are walking a fine line between salvation and oblivion Kek. As representative of the Gods I have their blessing to decide your fate. I will allow you to go free. But we will be watching you closely, and if you ever step out of line again the Gods will destroy you. Got that?"

Kek let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah... got that. Don't worry Pharaoh, you have my word. And I am sure you trust _my _word." He snickered and offered an innocent grin, that looked anything but innocent.

Atem huffed and rolled his eyes. "Don't push your luck Kek." He gave the nod to Mahado.

Magic balled in Mahado's chest and travelled along his arm to the tip of the staff he held in his right hand. Not wishing to be caught in the static thrumming and surrounding the powerful magician, Atem and Set stood back. The pair had to close their eyes and look away from the light.

Trapped in the rock, Kek flinched and scrunched his eyes up in pain from the intense light pulsing through him. He let out a scream, but no sound left his mouth. He was certain that Mahado was deliberately torturing him by making the process of freeing him as painful as possible.

::::::::::::

On the ground below the cliff, Seto was still analysing why transferring the souls back to their correct bodies had not worked. And then he found the problem. When he had calibrated the devices he had been in the living world, where the magnetic forces and atmospheric conditions were slightly different to what they were here – it was why they needed the suits to survive here. It was also why spirits were lighter than live beings, and were able to float like ghosts in the living world.

He should have anticipated that and built some code into the software to compensate for it.

He sat back on his haunches and swore loudly.

"What have you found?" Yugi asked anxiously.

"Whatever it is, can you fix it? Because I would really like to be back in my own body!" Anzu grumbled. Even though it was hot, she shivered. She didn't want to worry Yugi, but she was starting to feel a little dizzy. She wondered if Teana was also feeling weird.

Teana gave her a knowing frown to indicate she was picking up on her thoughts, and, yes, she was feeling queasy, but mostly due to the body she was currently in starting to struggle. But since her own spirit belonged in the afterlife, she was not as concerned for herself as she was Anzu.

Seto looked up and sighed. "Hopefully. But it might take time to fix the code."

"Time we might not have," Yugi seethed, turning to Anzu with a worried frown. "How are you holding up?"

She wanted to lie and tell him she was doing just fine, but she could tell by the look on his face that he could see how her breathing was becoming a little laboured.

She brushed it off with a forced smile. "It's just me getting nervous about what might happen if Kek won't help."

Yugi glanced towards the tombs. "Yeah, I wonder why they're taking so long up there?"

Just then, they were startled by a rumble of what sounded like thunder coming from inside the tomb above.

A bright light lit up the entrance of the tomb and fine veins of purple electricity, flickered outwards.

"What the...?!" Yugi stood abruptly and gawped in horror. Atem was inside that tomb!

Teana instantly recognised the aura. "It's okay Yugi. Mahado is using his magic."

Nodding, Yugi relaxed slightly. However, it did nothing to quell his growing sense of concern that they needed to hurry.

Seto looked down at his control panel. It was designed to be sensitive to the environment, and right now it was going haywire picking up the magician's aura. He was looking forward to analysing this so called 'magical data' once he got home. He was keen to find a scientific explanation that would once and for all disprove the claim that there was any such thing as magic.

But after a few seconds, the readings settled back down again and Seto could only hope that he had recorded enough data to analyse.

::::::::::::

The rock softened to a jelly like consistency and Kek felt a strong hand grasp his wrist.

Priest Set tugged on his arm and the rock made squelching sound as it released it's captive. Kek fell onto the ground and rubbed his throbbing limbs to make sure they were intact. He was relieved to see he appeared to be in one piece.

He heard Atem asking him if he could stand, and nodded. "I think so." He was a bit wobbly, but managed to stagger to his feet with a little help from Set, who concerned he might do a runner, had a tight grip on the back of his tunic.

Scowling, he attempted to shrug Set off, but was unable to loosen the priest's grip. "Am I your prisoner now?"

"Set! Release him," Atem ordered. "There's nowhere for him to go."

Glaring at no one in particular, Set slowly let him go. "I'm watching you closely. One wrong move and you will pay, got that?"

"Don't worry, Priest. I've learnt my lesson." There was so much cynicism in his voice that Set doubted he had.

"What do you plan to do with me now?" Kek casually asked, while brushing dust off himself.

Atem just shrugged. "You're free to go." They had the spell. Kek was no longer of any use and would only be in the way if he hung around. Atem was also in a hurry to get back to the others so that they could get Anzu and Teana back into their correct bodies. He turned and marched out of the tomb and stood on the ledge, looking down at his friends.

Kaiba was hunched over his tech gadgets, but Yugi and the women were looking up at him with anxious smiles and waved. He waved back and shouted that they had what they needed and were coming back down.

It did not escape Yugi, or Anzu, just how majestic and Godlike Atem looked standing on the rocky cliff, with the golden brown sandstone backdrop and the sun overhead, making his crown and golden accessories glisten. Even when the much taller men stepped up beside him, he still looked captivating.

Behind the trio of pompous bastards, Kek snickered as he considered giving each of them a shove. Watching them fall off the cliff and land in an ungainly heap at the bottom would certainly knock them off their high and mighty pedestals. It would be hilarious to watch! And they were already dead, so it was not like it could kill any of them. It might hurt a bit and break a few bones, but that was about all. Bones mended in minutes here anyway.

Set turned around and snarled at him. "Don't even consider it.."

"What? I wasn't..." Kek's voice came out as an embarrassing squeak and he found himself blushing. "Grrr..." To hide his embarrassment he looked at his feet and poked at a small stone with his toe.

As Anzu watched them picking their way down the cliff, she felt her vision suddenly go a bit wonky. She blinked and rubbed the bridge of her nose, but when she tried to focus on the men on the cliff again she started to get black and silver spots swirling in her vision.

She reached for her husband's arm. "Yugi... I.." She began, but did not finish her sentence before passing out.

"Anzu?!" Yugi caught her before she hit the ground.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please review.**


	9. Last Chance

Sorry this is a day late. I was away at a family wedding anniversary and vow renewal all day yesterday. Anyway, I'm back now, so here it is - more crazy goings on in the afterlife. Another character makes an unwelcome (or, depending on how you see it: welcome) appearance at the end of the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 8.

Last Chance.

Atem was halfway down the crumbling cliff when he heard Yugi call out. He looked round to see Yugi catching Anzu as her legs gave way.

He paused momentarily on the rock face as a surge of panic struck him. From up here, it was easy to forget that although the body he was watching collapse belonged to Teana, it was actually Anzu's soul that was inhabiting it. But regardless of who it was, watching the scene unfolding from up here was alarming and frightening.

Snapping out of his shock, he quickened his pace, literally jumping the last ten metres of the crumbling path.

Fearing they might be too late to prevent Anzu's soul from becoming a permanent resident of the spirit world, he ran over to where Yugi and Teana were tending her. "What happened? Is she..." He trailed off, praying silently for Anubis to spare her. He was relieved when he saw that she was at least still conscious – although barely.

Yugi glanced up at him with a worried frown. "I don't know..." He was trying very hard to stay calm and not break down.

"Yugi... It hurts," Anzu whimpered, weakly.

Turning his attention back to her, Yugi squeezed her hand lightly and gently wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with his fingertips. When he looked up at Atem again, his expression was forlorn. "We have to hurry," he pleaded, not knowing how much longer Anzu's soul could withstand the stress of being in the afterlife. She needed to go back to her own body and the relative safety of the suit. That way, at least she would have a chance.

"I know we do..." Atem frowned and bit his lip. He turned to his wife, who in Anzu's body appeared to be in better shape. "How are you feeling Teana? Is Anzu's physical body holding up okay?"

She nodded. "Anzu's body is fine for the moment." All things considered, Anzu's body was actually feeling fairly healthy. However, Teana realised that the reason for this was the protective suit. She wondered what might happen to Anzu's body if she were to power off the suit. Would her own soul automatically leave and go back to her own body? If so, she might be able to support Anzu's soul. But if her soul could not return to her own body without help, she might just drift away on the breeze. And leaving Anzu's body an empty shell could be fatal for her counterpart as well. She shook her head clear of those thoughts.

Atem's jaw set in contemplation of what to do next. At least Anzu's body was healthy enough for her soul to be returned to it. He gave a nod in Mahado's direction –it was their last chance to save both women. But the mage was involved in an animated conversation with Seto Kaiba and Priest Set about how they would proceed.

Mahado was adamant that he should use his magic. He knew the spell Kek had performed would not cause any problems or interference, and saw it as the only solution. Priest Set was in agreement with him. But Kaiba, as usual, was arguing that the only reliable and safe solution was to use his technology.

As he turned to face them, Atem felt like knocking their heads together and yelling at them to stop behaving like infantile brats, but knew that right now he needed to stay calm and in control of his own quick temper. "All of you! Listen to me?!"

At his firm command, they stopped arguing and turned to look at him. Thanking them for their cooperation, Atem continued. "I don't care what we use, or even if we combine your magic with Kaiba's technology, Mahado! We are running out of time, and need to find the safest and most reliable way to save Teana and Anzu."

At the mention of magic and technology, Yugi gasped with the realisation that Atem could unwittingly be onto something with that statement. "That's it!" He shouted, catching everyone's attention. "That's the solution!"

Watching the Pharaoh chastising the squabbling priest, magician and pompous CEO, Kek's initial response was to find the situation very amusing. No one had actually told him anything about what was going on, but from what he could gather the Queen's soul had been swapped with Anzu's and they were blaming him.

For some reason he had a soft spot for Anzu and his conscience was pricking at him. Soft Spot?! Conscience?! When did he develop these?

Of course! His other self had possessed the cheerleader in a cunning effort to outwit Yugi and the Pharaoh. Maybe, deep in his own subconscious, he still felt a slight connection to her soul and that was what was making him feel sad that the woman might die. But if she did die, wouldn't her soul end up here, in the afterlife?

He suddenly felt his loins heating at the thought that if she did end up here he would like to pursue her romantically.

Romance?! Yuk! Spirits like him didn't do romance – rape and debauchery were supposed to be his thing. For Apep's sake, what the fuck was going on with him? First a conscience, now romantic thoughts.

He did not realise he had stepped closer and was growling and pulling at his hair until Atem yelled at him and grabbed his shoulder, shoving him away.

With Anzu's life in immediate danger, Atem and did not have time for Kek's behaviour. "What's wrong with you? Are you completely insane, or did we leave your brain in that tomb?"

Kek squirmed and tried to laugh mockingly, but it came out as more embarrassed than anything else. "Very funny Pharaoh."

"None of this is funny!" Atem snapped at him. "You've done enough damage already, so stay out of the dammed way."

Kek scowled, but stepped back as Atem had requested. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, so quietly it was barely audible. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I only wanted to be reunited with my other self. You should understand that, Pharaoh."

Atem raised an eyebrow. Did Kek just apologise? That was a first. But, yes, he did understand the pain of being separated from your other self.

He gazed over at Yugi. They were so similar, yet so different. After three thousand years of isolation, Atem's soul had been dark and vengeful when Yugi first released it. But the overwhelming amount of light in Yugi's own soul had helped them to both become more balanced. Kek, however, was something that had been created from the darkness in Marik's own soul and Atem did not really know how that would work in the long run.

He narrowed his eyes and scrutinised Kek. "Yes. However. Sometimes,we have to do what is right by others, rather than what we would like for ourselves," he replied.

The response hit Kek where it hurt – in the heart. For the first time since his 'birth' he was experiencing genuine human emotions and it made him want to cry. But he refused to let himself cry.

Luckily, Atem's friends had called out for him and he had turned his attention back to them. He did not see Kek wipe a small tear from the corner of his eye.

::::::::::::

Mahado had used his magic to capture disembodied souls before. As a powerful mage he had the ability to see the shape of a soul. And when he had been wearer of the Ring, he had used the Ring's ability to implant pieces of itself into other objects to develop his own talents even further. It had enabled him to gain the ability to merge his own Ka and Ba so that he could place himself in the stone slab and become an eternal servant to his King.

He knew how to remove Anzu and Teana's souls from the body each was currently in, but he had nothing in which to keep their souls safe while he recited the spell to transfer each of them back to their own body. He could attempt to use random rocks, but the rock here was soft and irregular, and if he used one that contained a flaw it could shatter, releasing the soul into the atmosphere.

That was where Yugi's suggestion to use magic and technology together came in.

"Do you think it will work?" Atem asked.

Seto nodded positively. "Yes! I know it will. I designed these units for the purpose of holding souls. Just give me a second to make sure the life support is ready.

While Seto made his final checks, Mahado readied the two women by explaining to them what would happen. For a few moments both bodies would be soulless, and they needed to make sure they were in comfortable positions on the ground to ensure they did not fall and hurt themselves. Anzu was already on the ground and was now having difficulty breathing and moving. Teana sat down next to her and the two women clasped hands.

"I'm sorry, but you cannot be in physical contact with one another. You should sit a little further apart," Mahado explained.

Nodding, Teana shuffled away a couple of feet. "Is that far enough?" Mahado nodded that it was.

Holding the first unit against Teana's chest. Mahado explained that he would recite a spell that would remove Anzu's soul from the body, and place it inside the unit.

"Anzu grimaced. Will it hurt?"

Mahado gave her a sympathetic smile. "I cannot promise that it will be pain-free. But hopefully, all you will feel is a pulling sensation inside your heart."

Anzu nodded nervously. "I'm ready."

Mahado started chanting and Anzu felt like she was having a heart attack, but she fell unconscious before she could even scream.

Yugi wanted to run over and hug her but he had been ordered to stand aside so as not to contaminate the magic. Set also grabbed him by his arm to stop him. He gasped when the small dome on one side of the unit started to glow and swirl.

His wife's soul.

"Anzu's soul is unharmed and contained within," Mahado confirmed, breathing an internal sigh of relief.

"I could have told you that!" Seto stated, looking at the readings on his small screen. "All of her life functions are normal."

"May I?" Yugi asked. Mahado nodded. Gently cradling the disc in his hands, he handed it to Yugi to take care of.

Yugi cradled the disc in his lap, and lovingly touched his fingers over the glowing dome. It was warm and he felt a light tingle as the little swirls of soul pressed against the inside of the dome where his fingers were, which strangely seemed to calm the terrified feelings inside him. "Anzu," he whispered softly, almost afraid his voice may shatter it. "Can she hear me?" He looked up at Mahado hopefully.

The magician smiled sympathetically. "Not as such. But I believe she can sense your feelings and energy. You should reassure her."

Yugi nodded and gently soothed her – he hoped – by lifting the disc to his lips. "Hey! You're gonna be okay Anzu. I promise."

Seeing her own body laying on the ground, soulless and helpless, was unnerving for Teana to say the least and it made her shiver as anxiety swept through her. It was her turn next.

Atem could see the fear on Teana's face –Anzu's face; the face she was currently wearing. He was a little out of his depth and was unsure what he could do to reassure her – he was used to being the man in charge, but this was out of his control. He felt helpless and he hated it. The only thing he could think to do was to take off his cape and place it underneath Teana's soulless body to support her head.

Teana smiled as she watched him carefully folding his cape under the head of her empty body. She touched her hand the back of her head – Anzu's head. She was suddenly more worried about Atem than herself and quickly realised that she was not the one needing reassuring. "I'm okay," she knelt beside him and touched his shoulder. "It won't be for much longer."

He turned to her. "Seeing your body without your soul is unsettling," he admitted. He did not want to say anything that would frighten her, but he was terrified their souls might become stuck in Kaiba's computer system. Afraid she would see the worry in his eyes, he looked down at the ground and closed them.

His body language gave him away. If this was a game, he would be stone faced and confident, but emotional moments were always difficult for him. Teana pressed her face into his hair and kissed his head. "Do not be so afraid Atem. I am not worried."

Although in truth she was a little anxious, she was feeling oddly calm and relaxed. She knew there was no backing out now – this had to be done. "Shall we let Mahado and Seto Kaiba continue?"

Steeling himself, Atem nodded and stood up, all signs of his near emotional breakdown gone. "Mahado! Let's not waste any more time. Are you ready?"

Confirming that he was, Mahado advised Teana to lie down and try to make herself as relaxed as possible.

Seto was still not comfortable allowing Mahado to use magic to extract their souls. He considered it primitive and haphazard in comparison to his far more advanced technology. If only they could have waited another five minutes or so and he would have finished recalibrating his system.

Much to his satisfaction, Mahado turned to him and asked. "Are you ready for the second soul?"

Feeling smug that he was the one Mahado was dependent on for this to work, Seto checked his monitor. Anzu's soul was still stable within the confines of the unit, and the system was designed to easily support a second soul. "While you've been pfaffing about, I've been ready for the last five minutes," he smirked.

Mahado rolled his eyes. Teana was now sitting down, waiting for him to start. She had a good understanding of magic and trusted Mahado. He was one of the best magicians she had ever met and she had complete faith in him.

Her eyes closed and she let out a tiny gasp as she felt her soul pulled from Anzu's body, and then it felt like she was on the bottom of a pool of water, peering upwards through the shimmering aqua, towards the hazy sunlit surface. She wondered if this was how it felt inside a womb.

"Don't forget which is which now, Magician!" Kek snickered. "You don't want to muddle them up again!" Mahado ignored him.

Priest Set rounded on him. "Shut your mouth. Criminal!"

"Since Teana's soul belongs here and requires less magic to place back into her body, I will do her soul first, if that is okay?" He was mainly directing the comment at Yugi, who was sitting on the ground, still delicately cradling the unit containing Anzu's soul.

He nodded. "If you think that's best?"

"It is," Mahado confirmed.

Atem sat down next to Yugi and squeezed his shoulder. "I know how worried you feel Yugi. I too am nervous." That was an understatement. When Atem held up his hand Yugi could see how it was trembling slightly.

Yugi smiled. "I'm not too worried now. I trust Mahad, and I know Kaiba's technology won't to fail." He gave Atem a little nudge with his shoulder. "C'mon! It's not like you to need a confidence boost!"

Atem chuckled. "My secret is out. I'm not always as confident as everyone presumes," he admitted quietly, watching as Mahado checked with Seto Kaiba to ensure Teana's soul was stable, before placing the disc on the chest of her empty body and reciting a spell. There was a slight hum as a pale pink aura, tinged with slithers of silver, shimmered around Teana's body. She twitched. Touching her hand to her head, she let out a little groan and tried to sit up.

Atem was beside her immediately. "Teana?!"

She nodded weakly. "Yes. It's me."

Atem felt a weight roll off him. "Are you feeling okay?"

"A little disorientated but otherwise I'm fine." It was a fantastic feeling being reunited with her own body. She felt light, and it was such a relief to be out of the confines of the containment suit she was forced to wear while in Anzu's body.

Atem let out a sigh of relief as he helped her to sit. He looked over at Yugi. Mahado was gently prising Anzu's soul container from him. Atem suddenly felt a bit guilty for feeling so much happiness when Anzu was still trapped inside a small black object with a domed, gorilla glass screen.

Yugi held his clenched fist to his mouth when Mahado placed the unit on Anzu's chest and started chanting. What if it didn't work? He could barely bring himself to watch.

But the moment he saw Anzu twitch and her pinkish, silver aura starting to glow before settling into her body, he nearly jumped for joy.

Anzu whimpered slightly. She no longer felt like she was fading away, but she did feel the weight of the containment suit – it was almost as oppressive as the tiny space she had been in just moments before.

She suddenly felt a familiar pair of arms around her and felt the tickle of his bearded face against her cheek. She inhaled and even though he was smelling a bit sweaty, she still relished in his scent. "Yugi! Give me room to breathe, please?" She teased.

"Sorry!" Relaxing, he tried to hold her more gently. "I'm just so relived you're back to normal."

"I know you are," she winked. "So am I!"

He let out a relieved laugh. "Are you able to stand yet?"

"Give me a moment. Being in my own body still feels a bit strange. I think it's more because of this suit. It's hard to explain, but, until I started feeling unwell, being Teana was much lighter and less encumbered."

Yugi looked thoughtful. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that. These suits are designed to act as soul containment fields."

Meanwhile, Teana was now on her feet and skipping about, partly enjoying the freedom of having her own body back and partly to make sure it was moving and working properly.

Seto Kaiba was busy checking that the souls had both been completely transferred. He did not think it was possible, but would not want to find any residual soul stuck inside the computer. Satisfied that everything was as it should be, he powered down the unit to save energy. He did not want to say anything just yet, but using the Soul Exchange Unit had taken a lot of power that could have been used to power their life support. Using so much power had significantly reduced the amount of time they would be able to remain here.

He looked up when Mahado spoke to him. "Well Mister Kaiba. I must thank you for your assistance in providing receptacles for Teana and Anzu's souls. Without your help, I might have found the transfer significantly more difficult, and very risky," he smiled. "I would say it's a victory for magic and technology."

Seto huffed. "I would have preferred not to have been forced to rely on your magic, but I have to admit the combination worked well."

Mahado resisted rolling his eyes and gave a polite smile. "And most importantly, Queen Teana and Anzu are back in their own bodies, and in good health," he added, allowing his polite smile to become a happy grin as he looked over at Yugi, Atem, Teana and Anzu all hugging, chatting and laughing with relief.

Seto shrugged. "Whatever." Secretly, he was also pleased and relieved.

Kek cleared his throat. "I hate to interrupt your celebrations, but what are you going to do with me?"

Priest Set glared at him. "It's a long time since the dungeons have been used." In fact, the dungeons had never been used since he had been in the afterlife.

However, Atem did not really want to drag him all the way back to the palace. They only had three horses and limited rations, and he had enough to worry about with ensuring Yugi, Anzu and Kaiba would be okay. "You are free to go, Kek."

Kek was slightly surprised. "But how am I going to get back to my village?" He argued.

"By the same way you got here!" Yugi retorted.

Kek pouted. "My camel threw a strop and ran away. I can't walk. It's too far."

"You're resourceful. I'm sure you will think of something," Priest set smirked.

"What about that boat on the river bank down there?" They all looked to where Anzu was pointing.

About two hundred metres along the river bank was a wooden boat, roughly twelve feet in length. With everything that had been going on, no one had actually noticed it previously. There was no sign of its owner. Atem guessed the owner must live in the village he knew to be about a mile away, just around the next bend in the Nile. He did not wish to steal someone's livelihood.

Unfortunately, Kek had no such reservations. "Cool!" He smirked, rubbing his hands together. "You lot can share the horses. I'm taking the boat." He had no idea if he could paddle back up-river against the current on his own, but he did not care.

Seto just huffed. "Good luck crewing it yourself, moron." He doubted the idiot knew one end of the boat from the other.

Kek ignored him and ran down to the river bank.

"Camel shit!" He cursed, finding that the owner had not left any oars, and he had no idea how to utilise the sail. Never mind. This was an adventure – who knew where he would end up?

"Shouldn't we stop him?" Anzu questioned. "It's stealing."

"I seem to recall it was you who suggested we take the boat?" Said Seto, smugly.

"I didn't mean steal it!" Anzu huffed. "I was going to suggest we find the owner and pay him for it, or something."

"I don't think he's going to get get anywhere anyway!" Mahado replied, with certainty. The boat was large and heavy. It would normally be crewed by at least four men.

Yugi placed his hand on his wife's arm. "There's no way he will get that boat into the water on his own."

Everyone started laughing as they watched Kek struggling to push the boat into the water.

He swore and looked up at them in frustration. "Don't just stand there gawking! Help me you idiots?" He shouted angrily.

Deciding it was time to put a stop to Kek's antics, Atem marched down to the water's edge. Not trusting Kek one little bit, Priest Set accompanied him, sword at the ready should Kek attack the Pharaoh.

"Kek! I've just about had enough of your antics!" Atem bellowed. Was this moron really the same sinister creature who had previously tried to kill him and Yugi? "Leave the boat. It is not yours to take."

Kek looked up at Atem and his overprotective priest standing behind him. He was about to say something spiteful when he became distracted by someone else on the rocky outcrop behind them.

A broad grin spread across his face at the sight of a black stallion standing on the brow of the hill. On its back sat Thief King Bakura, red cape fluttering in the light breeze as he surveyed the scene below.

* * *

**Bakura showing up was just what they didn't want, but at least Anzu and Teana are saved. **


	10. Realm of The Gods

Anzu and Teana may finally be out of danger, but another danger is now lurking around the corner!

This chapter comes with warnings for some swearing.

Disclaimer: A reminder that I still do not own Yugioh.

* * *

Chapter 9.

Realm of The Gods.

A broad smirk appeared on Kek's face, prompting Atem and Priest Set to turn and look in the direction he was smirking.

"Looks like we have company, Pharaoh," Kek stated, in a tone that could only be interpreted as antagonistic. Although Atem cast him a brief glare, he did not give Kek the satisfaction of a verbal response, causing Marik's former Yami to scowl at him.

Ignoring Kek completely, Priest Set shielded his eyes against the sun as he looked up to where Bakura's horse was starting to move about skittishly on the brow of the hill. "Just great," he hissed under his breath.

"Let's hope he's not planning to cause any trouble," Atem groaned. He really did not want to have to deal with that sarcastic snake Bakura just now.

Priest Set snorted. "Hopefully he's just looking for this idiot." He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb at Kek.

"Will you lot quit calling me names? I'm sensitive, you know," Kek responded, with a hint of sarcasm.

Forgetting all about the boat, he ran back along the beach to where the others were standing, waiting for Bakura to reach them.

Shaking their heads in dismay, Atem and Set followed him.

::::::::::

Thief King Bakura loved making dramatic entrances. Urging his horse to rear up and whinny, he then nudged it in the ribs with his heels, expertly steering it down the slippery sand and crumbling rock path. Like Atem, he was an excellent horseman.

Everyone watched with baited breath as he came to a stop in front of them.

"Well, well. Quite a gathering we have here," he grinned broadly, revealing his sharp canines.

Feeling Anzu tense up beside him at the sight of Bakura, Yugi put a protective arm around her shoulders. He did not like Bakura, especially after what he put their friend Ryo through, and he certainly did not welcome him turning up now. There was something about his physique and mannerisms that made him scary and unpredictable, and Yugi could sense how it was putting them all on edge. "What do you want Bakura?" He stated boldly.

Bakura raised an amused eyebrow as him. "That's not a very nice way to greet an old friend Little Yugi. Have you forgotten how I once helped you?"

"You never did anything helpful unless it was to help yourself Bakura." Yugi snapped. These days, he was confident and had no qualms about holding his ground against this man.

Bakura chuckled dismissively. "Well, well. The Pharaoh's former host has grown a pair of balls at last."

If Bakura was trying to intimidate them by playing games and baiting Yugi, Atem was not impressed. "Just answer his question Bakura. What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Hello Pharaoh. I hadn't noticed you hiding behind your former vessel. Is he your spokesman now?" Bakura sneered. He was thriving on their hostility towards him. If they thought they could outwit him in a battle of hostility, then they were mistaken.

After everything she had been through recently, Anzu was tired and her patience wearing a little thin. She may not know the full details of Bakura's history, but she knew enough to know that bad things had happened that caused him to turn into a monster. Whatever his reasons, he was free of Zorc's influence now, so she still couldn't understand why he was still being an asshole. "Geez Bakura! You really haven't changed one bit since we defeated you, have you? Still just as bitter and twisted. You must really hate yourself."

She hit a nerve and Bakura flinched slightly, but he quickly composed himself and stared at her with a slight smirk.

Worried he might hurt her, Yugi pushed her behind him so he could shield her.

Bakura's smirk dropped and his expression became more hurt than anything else. He nodded slowly. "You're right Little Dancer. I am bitter and twisted. But I don't just hate myself... I hate everyone!" He started laughing maniacally at his own joke, causing everyone to frown. No one was at all amused, least of all Mahado.

The magician, priest and loyal servant to the Pharaoh, had lost his life because of this man. He was not vindictive by any means, and had spent many a long hour inside the stone tablet, trying to justify what had happened. The young thief's whole life had been tragic misadventure, and he wanted to accept that Bakura had not been acting entirely of his own volition. But despite the terrible string of events that had made him the way he was, he still found it hard to not hate Bakura for what he had done to everyone. "I am warning you Bakura! Speak to your Pharaoh with more respect or you will have me to answer to!" The threatening tone of his voice made everyone, including Bakura startle.

The thief stopped his laughter immediately. "What will you do? Fight me again... and lose?" It was a painful reminder of the sacrifice that Mahado had made.

With one fluid motion, Bakura dismounted his horse, landing on the sand with the grace of a big cat. Holding onto the rope he had made into a halter and reigns, he gently patted his horse on the neck and then tickled its muzzle. The tender gesture was not lost on his audience and left them all confused.

He sighed, and when he turned to speak again it was like he was a different person. "I apologise if I have offended anyone. I can't help the sarcasm. But don't worry, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm here to deal with him." He gestured in Kek's direction.

"How did you know where I was?" Kek was curious. He had taken care to cover his tracks, so Bakura should not have been able to find him.

"Do you really you think Apep didn't know you stole that spell? You're in big trouble. He is out for your hide. He asked me to come and find you."

"What?! I thought you hated Apep? You said you would slit his throat if you ever crossed paths with him again."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "I still do hate his guts! But I negotiated, and he agreed to let me spend the night with three nymphomaniacs as payment." A lewd grin appeared on his face that not only made Teana and Anzu feel repulsed, it repulsed the men as well.

Kek huffed. "Great fucking friend you are."

Bakura shrugged. "You know as well as I do that neither you or me do that friendship crap. We hang out together for convenience, remember?"

"It's not fair," Kek grumbled. He looked between Atem, Priest Set and Mahado. "You won't let him take me, right?"

Atem shared a look with his priests and folded his arms with a smug look of authority. "I think Bakura taking you to face justice is a good idea. Saves us having to deal with you."

Kek could not tell if Atem was serious about handing him over, or just toying with him. Either way, he was starting to panic. "B..but! But I thought you were letting me go! Have you any idea what will happen to me if I face Apep?"

Priest Set snorted. "You were born from evil, I'm sure he will welcome you with open arms. Or rather his huge, fanged jaws." He started laughing.

Kek was really scared now. He did not wish to go back to that dark, cold, terrifying place from which he was born. What would the Gods allow Apep do to him? Would they instruct Apep to swallow him whole? Or would they allow him to chew bits off, and watch him writhe as the shadows fed on him?

He turned to Atem and adopted a more humble, polite approach. "You have influence over the Gods, don't you my Pharaoh? You can explain to them that I didn't mean any harm. My soul is still growing and I'm bound to make mistakes. I'm sure all of us here have made mistakes, haven't we?" He implored. When he got no positive response he looked crestfallen. "I don't want to disappear, forever," he sniffed.

His desperation reminded Atem and Yugi of the way he had tried to plead and bargain when he realised that Marik had taken back control and was going to surrender the duel, banishing his darkness to the shadows. But back then his begging was definitely not genuine. Now, however, his pleas were far more sincere.

Atem sighed and scratched his head. A small smirk graced the corner of his mouth. "Are you really daring to grovel before me Kek? After what you did to Teana and Anzu, you really expect me to show you mercy?"

Kek did his best not to scowl and snarl, instead forcing himself to appear contrite. "I... I know you think I did it to deliberately hurt people. You all think I'm bad. But I'm not bad. None of you have even bothered to ask me why I am so desperate to go back to the living world, have you?"

Priest Set sighed impatiently. "Then why don't you delight us by telling us?"

Kek looked sad and nostalgic for a moment as he reflected upon the dreams he was now very unlikely to ever realise. He swallowed down a lump of emotion. "You mock me, but I'm not asking for much. All I want is a real life of my own; with a modest house, a beautiful wife, well behaved children and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Had I known what would happen I would never have..."

"Don't listen to him," Seto Kaiba interrupted. "Can't you see he's a liar?"

Kek's face twisted. "Who asked you? And you're not so innocent either! This is just as much your fault as it is mine. If you hadn't been messing..."

"Enough!" Atem cut him dead. "It doesn't matter who's fault it is. We are just fortunate that all has ended well."

"Except for me," Kek interrupted.

"Yes! And I hope you've learned something from it?" Atem snapped.

Mumbling some sort of incomprehensible excuse, Kek frowned miserably.

Sighing, Atem rubbed his chin in thought. "Very well. I will go before the Gods and see what I can do."

Priest Set could not believe what he was hearing. "You can't seriously be considering helping him? Do you even know the risks you're taking by trying to bargain with Apep?"

Teana clutched her husband's arm. "He's right Atem. It's too dangerous," she pleaded.

"I'm well aware of the risks. But you forget I am also given status as a God. Apep will not harm me without repercussions from Ra-Horakhty-Atum." The God Creator was the mother and father of all Gods. As a baby, Atem had been blessed by the God Creator, giving him his unique hair. Ra-Horakhty had again intervened, by sending Hasan to protect him during that final battle. The spirit had saved him from certain death when he fell into the ravine, and helped swing the odds in his favour while they waited for Yugi to find his true name.

"Are you sure Pharaoh?" Mahado was concerned. "I mean... Look at him?" He glowered at the grovelling Kek. "Is he really worth it?"

Yugi approached the young Pharaoh he had once called Other Me. "Atem," he said, seriously. "I know this might surprise you, but I'm with Mahado and Set on this. Please don't sacrifice yourself if there's little chance of saving him."

Atem smiled sadly at his friend. He remembered a time when Yugi would have been willing to do anything to save a person, no matter how wicked they were. How time and life's little knocks had changed his former partner. Their gazes locked. Atem was almost undone by the fatherly look of concern on Yugi's face. It was all he could do to keep from pouting like a teenager being grounded. But he was the Pharaoh and had the final word. "I'm sorry that we do not agree on this Yugi. But I cannot condemn a soul to eternal pain and suffering. I will do what I can to prevent it." He glared at Yugi, defiantly. Their eyes continued to search one another for weakness, until in the end the corner of Yugi's mouth curled into a small smile of understanding. With a slight nod, he conceded.

"But I won't let you go alone. I will help you," he decided.

"You had better hurry up!" Seto interjected. "Because we only have another ninety minutes before we have to return to our own world."

Yugi checked the counter on his wrist unit. It was ticking down way too fast for his liking. "How long will it take to plead Kek's case?" He asked.

"We need to go to a temple," Priest Set explained. "There, we will have to open a connection to the Realm of The Gods, and ask the Gods for leniency towards an individual no longer deemed fit to enjoy the afterlife. Only the Pharaoh, or the High Priest can make such a request."

"There is an old Temple just outside the nearby village. It should not take long to reach it," said Mahado.

"Agreed," Atem nodded. "We shall go immediately."

Since the women were still feeling a little weak from their ordeal, they rode upon Atem's horse while he lead Pegasus along the path beside the Nile. In order to make haste he jogged at a steady pace.

Not wishing to miss the show, Bakura decided to tag along as well. He and Kek rode on his horse.

Mahado offered for Yugi to sit behind him on his horse but Yugi declined, preferring to jog along beside Atem. Seto hated horses and declined the offer to ride pillion with his counterpart.

Not used to running in the heat of the Egyptian desert, Yugi and Seto, despite considering themselves fit, were puffing and sweating when they arrived at the temple. Atem was barely even out of breath.

Doubled over with his hands on his knees, Yugi panted and coughed. "What happens now?"

"We enter the temple, open a portal and make contact with the Gods and ask them to spare Kek," Atem replied. It all sounded so simple when he said it like that. He had yet to tell Yugi that he had no intention of allowing him to go with them and put his own life at risk.

Priest Set stepped forward with an air of confidence. "Pharaoh. May I suggest that I be the one to take on this trial on your behalf?"

Atem smiled. "Thank you for the offer Set. But no. I must do this myself." He would never forgive himself if anything happened to his cousin and friend.

Having finished the task of making the morning offerings, two priests emerged from the temple. As soon as they spotted their Pharaoh they fell to their knees before him, humbly asking his blessing.

Smiling casually, Atem praised them for their dedication to their Pharaoh and the Gods, and asked them to stand. He had never been comfortable with people throwing themselves at his feet.

But even though he was uneasy, he did not let it show.

With the two priests back on their feet, he requested their permission to use the temple. Of course, as Pharaoh he did not need permission, but he always felt it best to be polite and respect other people, especially in their own property.

Delighted that their Pharaoh was requesting to use their temple, they readily agreed and gestured for him to enter. "I trust you will be satisfied with what you see Pharaoh. We take great pride in the upkeep of our temple and make several daily offerings to the Gods."

"I am not here to judge your dedication," Atem replied. "But I am impressed. This truly is a beautiful temple." He looked around at the brightly painted murals, depicting various scenes of worship. "However, I would request that you leave us." He did not give them a reason why, and they did not ask. They merely bowed and did as they were told.

However, once the pair were outside, they began gossiping about what it might be their Pharaoh wanted, and they even dared to hang around outside in an attempt to eves-drop.

Stepping up to the alter, Atem turned to his friends. "I would suggest all of you, except Kek, stand back, close to the exit. If something goes wrong, you must not attempt to come after me, understand?" Unhappy about the request Priest Set started to argue. However, Atem was adamant that they must not risk themselves to save him.

Yugi was less easy to convince. "I thought I was coming with you?! We're always stronger together."

Atem shook his head. "Not this time Yugi. Promise me, you will not attempt to follow me?"

Yugi looked him in the eyes and shook his head. "I cannot make that promise."

Atem held firm but his eyes flickered with guilt. "Then I will order Mahado to restrain you."

Yugi gasped and looked between Mahado and Atem. They were deadly serious and he realised that arguing further would just waste more time. He gave one nod of the head and fixed Atem with a glare. "If you're not back within a reasonable time, I will fine a way to come after you."

Seeing the strength of Yugi's conviction, Atem smiled and nodded. He knew better than to argue with a resolute Yugi. But, with luck, Yugi would not need to get involved. "Very well." He then turned to Kek, who seemed to be trying to hide himself behind the others. "Kek. You must come with me."

"Do I have to? It might be best if you plead on my behalf and then... Ow!" He complained, when Bakura smacked him on the back of the head. Scowling, he rounded on the Thief. "You're supposed to be on my side, you bastard."

"I'm on no one's side but my own," Bakura retorted.

Priest Set snorted. He grabbed the protesting Kek and dragged him to the alter. "I will remain here to ensure that he does not try to run away."

"Thank you," said Atem. "But you are not to come with us." He had a feeling his words were falling on deaf ears, but had no choice but to begin chanting the ritual that would open his connection to the Gods.

Priest Set smirked smugly to himself. He had no intention of letting Atem do this on his own.

::::::::::::

Everyone stood back and watched anxiously as Atem invoked the the Egyptian Gods to open a pathway for him into their world.

A dark, swirling gateway shimmered on the polished marble floor in front of the alter, and Atem gestured for Kek to step through.

"You're kidding?! I'm not going first!" He huffed indignantly, only to be forced forward. Kek tried to resist, but Priest Set was much taller and stronger, and was obviously well trained in dealing with prisoners who tried to escape. He quickly found himself pushed into the opening and felt himself falling through what felt like sludge, until he landed with a soft thud on dark brown sand.

Seconds later, Atem landed beside him, followed by Priest Set.

"I thought I told you to stay up there," Atem scolded.

Priest Set just shrugged. "You know full well that I had no intention of leaving you alone with this scoundrel."

Atem sighed. Set had a point. He grunted in annoyance but did not take it any further. "Very well. Follow me, and stay close. There are many hidden dangers in this place." Not all Gods were friendly and he could only imagine what might be waiting for them, and although he was annoyed with Set for following, he was actually glad he was here.

But where were the Gods he was familiar with? He had at least expected Anubis might be here to meet them. Surely they had not left him to face Apep alone?!

He must have looked worried because Kek started snickering. "You don't have the slightest idea what you're doing, do you?"

"No one asked for your opinion, so shut it!" Set growled.

"I'm afraid he's right," Atem sighed. "I'm not too sure where we go from here. I was hoping for some guidance." He looked all around him at the endless desert, dotted with ruins of what was once the most powerful realm in the universe; before the great war between the gods left it devastated. There was no clear path and he feared that Apep had placed traps beneath the sand.

"Why don't we turn around and go back?" Kek suggested, feebly. "This place used to excite me. Now it just creeps me out."

"I have a better idea. Why don't Atem and I turn back and leave you here," Set sneered. Atem could not help but snicker at the comment.

"Ha, ha... Very funny indeed," Kek sneered back at them.

All of a sudden, Atem started to feel a sense of clarity. It was as though he were being guided by an unseen entity. "This way!" He announced, setting off.

"How the fuck do you know that?" Kek asked, cynically.

Atem glanced at him and shrugged. "I don't. I just have a feeling that it doesn't matter which way we go. All routes end up in the same place."

Trusting Atem's judgement, they followed him. They had walked about one hundred metres when the ground they were walking on started to shake. The sand in front of them started to bubble like boiling water and then it erupted as a walls spiralled upwards. They were forced to shield their faces and eyes from the sand being thrown about.

When they opened their eyes again, they were amazed to see the Temple of Osiris had risen before them, and standing at its entrance was Osiris himself, but in his human form. "Forgive the dramatic entrance," he boomed, towering over them. "Anubis was supposed to meet you but he's not in the best of moods and neither Set nor Horus are anywhere to be found, so I had to do it myself and I was running late." He did not elaborate further. If truth be told, his never ending responsibilities as overseer of the continual cycle of death and re-birth were catching up with him these days, and he just could not wake from his slumber as quickly as he once could.

Slightly bemused, the trio gazed up at the God. None of them had ever seen Osiris in anything other than his battle form of Slifer, or from depictions on the walls of temples, and they were awed by his presence. At around fifteen feet tall, he dwarfed even the lofty Priest Set. His skin shimmered a gentle shade of olive green, symbolising his status as the god of death and rebirth. His white robe was trimmed with gold, green and red, and tied at the waist by a simple piece of red fabric. Upon his head, he wore the Atef crown, decorated with blue and red trim that gave the impression they might be small wings.

He studied them with an expression that made them all feel very inferior.

Atem gulped as the God's gaze fixed on him. But he relaxed when Osiris' face softened into a protective smile.

As the chosen Pharaoh, Atem was a special human. He may have been born as the son of Aknamkanon, but he had been conceived as a child of the Gods. "You are prepared to put yourself at great risk for the sake of this... spawn." There was a distinct note of disdain in the way in which Osiris was regarding Kek.

Being referred to as spawn, made Kek bristle with annoyance to begin with, but then he started to tremble with fear from the knowledge that the God seemingly hated him so much – which was why he was slightly stunned when he heard Atem sticking up for him. After all the terrible, mean things he had done, Atem was speaking out in his favour.

"He is one of my people, and I was taught to protect my people, no matter how errant their ways are." Atem held himself with a strong sense of pride as he spoke to Osiris.

Osiris could empathise to a certain degree. However, Gods were often forced to make tough decisions without remorse, and if it were up to him Kek would be wiped from existence. But he knew that Atem would not back down from the argument as to whether Kek was worth saving, or not, because it was the Gods themselves that had bestowed upon Atem, as an infant, the desire to protect and the courage to make the ultimate sacrifice. "Very well," Osiris conceded. "Follow me. I will take you there. It is up to Ra and Apep to consider your plea." Opening his arms, he waved his crook and flail outwards and upwards in a sweeping gesture, and commanded their surroundings to bend to his will. The sand was pulled upwards and whipped into a whirling spiral resembling a tornado. Trapped in its eye, Atem, Set and Kek gazed around them at the spinning wall of sand. It suddenly closed in and they were pulled into the ground. By rights, they should be going down, but it actually felt as if they were being sucked upwards. But who knew what was going on? The realm of the Gods was outside the normal level of human understanding. They were at its mercy.

* * *

**Thank you for reading.**

**Let me know in a review what you think!**


	11. Light V's Dark

Please note, this is purely fiction, and while I might mention Gods and their creation, it by no means represents my own religious beliefs. It is not meant to cause any offence to anyone, but if it does I'm sorry.

* * *

Chapter 10.

Light V's Dark.

Osiris waved his flail and the sand tornado dropped casually to the ground, settling into a smooth surface of soft, golden grains of sand.

The slightly dazed trio gazed around at their new surroundings. They appeared to be in the middle of the desert.

In the distance, they could see many temples and pyramids shimmering on the horizon; bathed in Ra's golden light against the clear blue sky.

Just as they were starting to feel a little more at ease with their surroundings, the ground beneath their feet started to rumble, causing them to brace themselves in order to not fall over.

"What the fuck is going on now?" Kek complained anxiously. Any moment now, he expected some serpentine monster to rise up out of the sand and eat him – it would be just his rotten luck after the shitty forty eight hours he had just endured.

"I don't know," Atem admitted, through gritted teeth.

Set had his hand on his sword, although he doubted it would be much use against whatever it was they were about to face. But at least it comforted him.

They felt themselves being lifted up on some sort of platform, and then the movement came to an abrupt halt.

Slowly, they looked around and found that they were in fact standing on a white marble dais. Each beautiful slab was expertly crafted to the highest standard and was edged with gold. Three tall pillars stood on each side of the dais and were connected by plinths spanning the top of each one, and all of the pillars were adorned with gold hieroglyphs; recounting the birth of Ra, his wives, his children and his never-ending travels across the sky, bringing light and warmth by day and fighting back the darkness by night.

To the rear of the dais was a temple. Painted above the entrance to the temple, the bright orange sun disc and cobra sat upon the head of a beautifully depicted falcon with golden outstretched wings. Looking up at it, the sheer enormity of the temple made the three small humans feel dizzy.

The Realm of The Gods was so vast – far larger than the human imagination could envisage. And while The Realm of The Egyptian Gods seemed big to the trio of humans, it was but a small area within within a cosmos that housed thousands of Gods – good and bad. Some of the Gods had been created at the same moment as the dawning of the universe, but many more had been created by humans. It seemed a strange irony that most of the Gods who had been created by the imaginations of mankind, to be feared, respected and worshipped, had long been abandoned and were no longer believed in.

Although still reminiscent of the temples built by Pharaohs throughout Egyptian history, the temple immediately in front of them eclipsed anything Priest Set had ever seen in Kemet.

Kek's mouth fell open at the sheer splendour of the temple. "Wow! " He muttered.

"The Temple of Ra," Atem stated knowingly, as if he might have already seen it previously. But then he looked up at the towering God, Osiris, for confirmation. "Am I correct?"

"Indeed you are Atem. There are many temples here, in which the other Gods reside along with lesser Gods. We have been here since we departed your world, many hundreds of thousands of years ago after a war among the Gods almost destroyed civilisation. We are now forbidden by our own rules to be seen interfering in the individual lives of humans, and we are not permitted to involve ourselves in your wars." He paused for a moment, deep in thought. "However, there have been occasions when he have been given no other choice but to intervene. When Aknadin used a terrible form of dark alchemy that threatened to destroy Ma'at, we were forced to act by choosing you as our champion, Atem. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough and the evil remained hidden. We had to wait another three millennia before choosing a second champion, who shared the same courageous soul as yourself and who could work with you."

"Yugi..." Atem interjected.

Osiris nodded. "Thankfully, all the pieces fell into place and you were able to defeat Zorc once and for all."

"Look." Kek cleared his throat. "Fairy stories about the past might be interesting and all that, but I was kind of anxious to know what you intend doing about my situation?"

Osiris fixed Kek with a glare. "Ah.. Yes! The anomaly that is yourself. The banished Tomb-keepers darkness, who seems to have taken on a life of his own. I must say, I had my doubts when Atem asked that you be given a second chance. However, this latest..."

Kek did not let him finish. "Does that mean I get another chance?" He grinned, hopefully.

"I am afraid the answer to that is beyond even myself. We must wait. Soon Ra will reach the western sky and Apep will no doubt be waiting, hoping to take us by surprise." He yawned and Atem and Set glanced at each other. Set raised an eyebrow at his cousin. They were both obviously thinking the same thing; the Gods were weary of the endless battle between light and dark, good and evil.

::::::::::::

"How long do you think they will be?" Anzu asked, looking anxiously at her wrist unit and seeing that they had less than an hour left. She really wanted to stay long enough to see they were all safe.

"I don't know," Yugi frowned. They had been gone fifteen minutes by his timer. "I wonder what's happening, wherever they are."

Bakura snickered. "You don't seriously think they will return do you? While we wait their souls are being crushed in the belly of the Apep and slowly consumed by the darkness." To accentuate his point, he made a crushing gesture with his fist.

Teana rounded on him. "Don't you dare say such things, Thief! My husband is risking his soul to save your friend! Have you no gratitude in that rotten heart of yours?"

Bakura scowled. "He's NOT my friend. I have no need for friends. I just use people." His defiant tone sounded rather strained.

"Geez!" Anzu huffed. "You and Kek deserve each other."

Seto glared at Bakura. "As much as I agree with you about friends, I don't agree with your principles. If it was up to me I would have sent you in there with Kek, and left you both to plead for your worthless souls."

"You have even less of a conscience than I do, Seto Kaiba," Bakura sneered.

"Look! Can we quit the nasty comments?! Especially you, Bakura," Yugi snapped. He was not in the mood to listen to Bakura goading everyone.

Bakura opened his mouth for a retort, but the warning look Yugi gave him made him think twice. Instead, he flicked Yugi off with a wave of his hand and wandered over to a bench and sat down with his back to them, and began to pick dirt out of his fingernails while muttering to himself just loud enough for them to hear him saying something about Yugi growing a spine and a pair of testicles.

Yugi ignored him but Anzu wanted to go and punch him for being so obnoxious.

Mahado, hoping to ease the tension, ushered them to a tranquil area of the temple gardens, where they could not see Bakura scowling on his bench. Water bubbled from a fountain and water trickled along a channel, giving nourishment to a garden of date and fig trees, aromatic herbs and vegetables.

"But we can't see the inner chamber of the temple from here!" Teana complained.

"And we can't see what that Thief is up to either," Seto growled. He did not trust him to not interfere to ensure Atem, Set and Kek would not be able to return.

"I will keep watch," Mahado reassured. "You three should all take some time to calm yourselves, and relax. The more stress you feel, the faster your timers will run down. Teana will stay with you."

Teana wanted to argue, but the last forty eight hours had been stressful and she could do with some relaxation herself.

Seto looked down at his wrist. He hated to admit it, but Mahado was right. If they stayed calm and kept their heart rates low, they would have longer. "Very well. But call us if something happens, or if Bakura tries anything."

"Don't worry. I will." Mahado left them in the garden and walked into the inner chamber, staying out of Bakura's sight, but where he could still see the top of the thief's head and also the main alter where his good friends had entered the Realm of the Gods. He sat down on a bench and began to meditate. He hoped that by meditating, he might be able to reach into the other realm with his mind and project himself in the form of The Dark Magician. But it was a dangerous thing to do on his own and he just wished that Isis was here to help ground him.

::::::::::::

Starting to get bored, Bakura got up, and decided to creep around the temple and see if there was anything worth stealing.

There was no sign of the others, but he spotted Mahado, sitting like a statue on a bench close to the main alter. He was completely still and had his eyes closed. Surrounding him was a deep, shimmering purple aura.

He decided not to interfere and went out into the garden. The priests they had seen earlier were there, pretending to be working, but were actually spying on what Yugi and his associates were doing. They looked up at him as he walked past, and he sneered at them in response. "Being nosy will get you into trouble," he smirked.

Plucking a big, juicy apple from a tree, he walked over to where Yugi and the others were resting.

He took a bite and spoke with his mouth full. "Did you know your magician friend is in there having a funny turn?" Juice spluttered from his mouth as he spoke.

"What do you mean by funny turn?" Teana had not heard of that expression before.

"He means unwell, or behaving strangely... That sort of thing," Anzu explained, sounding slightly concerned.

"Yeah. There's a purple aura surrounding him and he has his eyes closed." Bakura took another bite of his apple

"Mahado?!" Teana gasped, running back into the main temple. Yugi, Anzu and Seto got up to go with her.

"You really do know how to be an arsehole, don't you?" Seto Kaiba growled, elbowing Bakura on the way by.

"Thanks for the compliment," Bakura smirked, undaunted. He started to follow them, but Yugi turned and growled at him to stay out of the way.

Bakura startled, faltering in his step. He was slightly embarrassed when it occurred to him that Yugi Muto had just frightened him, but followed anyway. He just made sure to keep his distance.

As soon as she saw him, Teana knew immediately what Mahado was trying to do and was worried. Why didn't he tell us he was planning to do this?"

Seto shrugged. "Because we would have stopped him."

"What exactly is he trying to do?" Anzu asked, uncertain about leaving Mahado in his trance. "He looks kind of out of it."

"He's sending the Dark Magician to help Atem," Yugi explained.

Teana gave Yugi a worried smile. "We should stay with him to make sure he is safe, but it's best we don't interfere. If we were to disturb him from his trance in the middle of battle, it could have fatal consequences."

Yugi tensed anxiously. "I just hope it all going to plan." He wished he could use whatever magic Mahado was using to go and help Atem. They had always fought together and been a winning partnership. This felt wrong.

::::::::::::

Atem was forced to shield his eyes as a fierce light suddenly lit up their surroundings.

"What's happening?" Set asked, squinting and looking away from the brightness.

Osiris looked slightly worried. "It's Ra! He is a little early!"

"Well, he could have bloody warned us to wear shades." Kek complained.

"Wear what?" Priest Set bristled.

"Shades, or sunglasses. They consist of a dark coloured lens inside a frame and are a popular fashion accessory in the modern world," Atem explained. "They're worn on the face to protect the eyes from bright sunlight."

Priest Set just snorted and rolled his eyes. How ridiculous!

Out of the bright light, a Solar Barque appeared, with Ra standing atop, steering it in to land on the marble dais.

Realising he was blinding them, Ra dimmed his brilliant light a little. But it was still too bright for human eyes to endure.

Although still forced to shield themselves against the intensity of the light, they could not resist peeking, and were awed by the huge golden wings that were keeping the barge aloft. Even Osiris had to duck to avoid being knocked aside by them.

The wings then shook and retracted to form large human arms, while the falcon's head took on a more human appearance, revealing an elderly, but still extremely powerful, commanding man, with a white beard and white hair streaked with gold. The sun-disc rested against the back of his head like a frame and a real live Cobra danced hypnotically above his head. But Ra seemed oblivious to it being there and it did not attempt to strike out.

In his human form, Ra was not as bright and they were able to get a good look at him.

He was obviously very ancient, but his skin was still a smooth, rich, deep golden tan that shimmered with sunlight.

"Sorry if I blinded anyone. I do try to tone it down a bit," Ra chuckled, in an ancient voice full of wisdom and power, "but, well... not much I can do about it in all honesty."

"Oh!" Atem scratched his head in mild amusement and glanced at Set, who had his 'I am not impressed' look plastered all over his face for all to see.

Kek was awed, but still tempted to say something sarcastic. However, he decided to keep quiet. It was his existence on the line and he did not wish to piss off this high and mighty deity.

Ra's features softened at the sight of Atem, but there was also an air of concern. "I admire your courage my son, but I wonder if you truly understand the risks you are taking in trying to save this scoundrel. Apep is dangerous. It takes all my wisdom and strength to push him back each night and prevent him from permanently covering the world in his endless darkness."

Atem nodded once, keeping his posture strong. "I understand. But I cannot let Kek perish without at least trying."

"You do realise I may not be able to protect you if Apep decides to consume you as well as him? When he strikes, he is fast like a Cobra." Upon hearing its name mentioned, the cobra danced excitedly. "His venom will render you helpless and unable to struggle for freedom, as he pulls you into the belly of his darkness."

Atem tried not to gulp. "I understand."

Ra stepped off the barque and walked over to where Kek was standing. He towered over Kek and his sheer power made Kek tremble. It was all he could do to not allow his intimidation show. There was a time when his psychopathic tendencies might have encouraged him to sneer in the face of a God, just to see the reaction. But since being given a chance in the afterlife his soul had grown and his personality had mellowed slightly. He knew better than to anger the one God who could save him.

Of course, he felt pathetic for being so humble, but remembering to keep his left foot forward, he bent on one knee and bowed his head, lowering his eyes to the ground. "Mighty Ra. I am sorry if I have caused any trouble. I..." he swallowed down the bile in his throat. It would not harm his case to grovel. "I don't want Atem to risk himself for me," a little lie, "but I ask that you consider the progress I've made since being here. I know I'm still a bit prone to making rash choices, but I do try and be good, honest!"

Ra snorted and then started laughing. "You always were a good actor, little Tomb Keeper's Darkness. But I'm afraid you are not doing yourself any favours by grovelling. So stand up and look me in the eyes like a truly repentant man, and try again."

Kek took a deep breath and clamped his mouth shut to stop himself from snarling. Doing as he was ordered, he stood and looked up at the God. Looking into the face of the father of Gods made him tremble uncontrollably. He was awed to the point of wanting to fall flat on his belly to pledge his never ending devotion. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he had just been ordered to stand!

Could a God really be reducing him to this gibbering wreck?!

After several long moments, he finally found his voice. "I.. I don't... want to go back to being a particle of nothing inside the darkness," he muttered, stumbling over his words.

"Is that so?" Ra rubbed his beard in thought. "I can't for the life of me understand why Atem would want to give you another chance. After all, what have you ever done but try to bring harm to him and his loved ones?"

As Kek struggled to find an answer, Ra waved him away with a flick of the wrist. "It was a rhetorical question. I don't need to hear whatever excuse you can come up with. But know this: If not for Atem, Ammit would have feasted upon your soul a long time ago."

With a swish of his robe, he turned to Atem. "My son. Apep will be here soon. Dusk is arriving and I can feel him. It is not too late for you to turn back now and leave myself and Osiris to preside over this man's fate."

"Thank you for the offer, but I gave my word to try and help him. And, you know me?" A cheeky smile appeared on Atem's face. "I never back down from a challenge."

Ra rolled his eyes. "Yes. And I always feared it would one day be the downfall of you." He sighed. "But your stubborn refusal to back down from a challenge, your desire to protect other people and those you love from danger, along with your unwavering bravery in the face of adversary, was why we chose you above all others to lock Zorc away. Your sacrifice saved all living creatures – beast and mankind alike – from endless darkness and torture. But this is one sacrifice I will not allow you to make, and I will stop you if I have to. Even if it means Kek ends up being consumed by Apep regardless. Do you understand me?"

Atem nodded and his confidence wavered a little. "Yes. I understand."

With that, the sky began to darken.

::::::::::::

Having induced a deep enough trance, Mahado instructed his Dark Magician form to leave his soul and enter the realm of the Gods. As devoted protector of Atem, he could project himself anywhere within the multiverse to be at his master's side. He had been able to do this several times when Atem and Yugi had been in dire situations; using the duel holograms as cover. His actions, and Mana's, had saved Yugi and Atem from severe injury and even death on more than one occasion. He knew that Kisara had also done the same for Kaiba; her soul entering his Blue Eyes White Dragon hologram.

Successfully navigating the realm of Gods, he soon located them and would reach them in a matter of moments.

::::::::::::

Everyone looked around as the ground began to rumble. They could see where the sand rose and fell as Apep slithered underneath the surface. Suddenly, he burst forth and rose up in front of the dais they were standing on. Behind him the darkness swirled. Enslaved souls and creatures born from evil snapped and chomped their jaws in expectation of food.

Osiris and RA showed no visible reaction, but Atem, Set and Kek flinched.

They glanced around. Above them, a waning moon glowed softly among the rapidly appearing stars. But where the night sky met Apep's darkness there were no stars, only the sinister, inky darkness.

The only thing preventing Apep from immediately consuming the visiting humans was the presence of Ra and Osiris.

Apep sneered. "So... little human Pharaoh. You wish to plead with me for the life of this creature?" He then spat, "You fool! He belongs with me in the darkness." His snake mouth opened, revealing long fangs. He lunged forward and a forked tongue lashed outwards towards where Atem stood, side by side with Set, shielding Kek. They were forced to jump back in an attempt to avoid being struck and almost fell over Kek.

At that same moment, a spellbinding circle shot out of nowhere, trapping Apep inside.

"Do that again, snake, and I will sever that spiteful tongue of yours," Dark Magician snarled, holding his rod firmly in both hands to project his heka.

The Spellbinding slowed him slightly, but Apep flexed, throwing the Spellbinding Circle off with ease. "Your inferior human spell cannot contain me, little mage."

The force of Apep repelling the spell sent Dark Magician flying backwards against one of the pillars

"No! Mahado?" Atem ran to his friend.

"I'm fine Master." Dark Magician was quickly floating again.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay with the others," Atem scolded.

"If I had, then I would not have been able to save you from that poisonous forked tongue," he argued.

Atem sighed. "Yes. And I thank you. But please, do not put yourself in any more danger. Let me handle it. If I need assistance, the Gods will help, okay?"

"They weren't much help during that attack," Set huffed. "Unless they do something now, we don't stand a chance anyway," he grumbled, keeping his voice low.

"I know," Atem agreed. "But I do not intend to show any weakness." Squaring his shoulders, he stepped forward, looked straight up at Apep. "I know Kek has committed a crime, but as an inhabitant of Kemet he is my responsibility and I will not let you take him."

"Very nice speech little Pharaoh, but his fate is not up for negotiation." He narrowed his red eyes and studied Kek. "So, hand him over and I might be generous and let you and your priests go."

"I will not hand him over." Atem stood his ground.

"Then I will devour you all!" He reared up as if preparing to strike Atem, but seemed to hesitate. Atem could see that he was nervous about how Osiris and Ra would react. Atem hoped the hesitation might be enough to give him an opening. Set had his sword drawn and was at Atem's side, and Dark Magician was ready to protect them both with his Dark Magic Attack.

But at the last minute, Apep did not go for them, instead lunging at Kek, who sensing that things were looking grim had decided to try and sneak away and make a run for it.

Atem called to Dark Magician to protect Kek, but the mage was reluctant to leave his master's side in case Apep changed his mind and went for Atem.

Luckily, he did not need to leave Atem because Osiris stepped in.

Deciding that Apep needed to be stopped before he harmed anyone, Osiris morphed into his ultimate battle form; Slifer, Dragon of the Skies.

Apep was almost upon Kek and seemed oblivious as Slifer rose to intercept him. But the expected collision never happened because Apep was struck from the side by an even more powerful force.


	12. Battle of The Gods

We're getting close to the end of this story now! I think there is one more chapter after this.

* * *

Chapter 11.

Battle of The Gods.

Set was the third of the three Gods who had pledged to watch over Atem and protect him.

But Set could be volatile at times and his history with his counterparts had never been harmonious.

While the hatchet had been buried many millennia ago following his brutal murder of Osiris and humiliation of Horus, he was still treated with caution.

There had been many times when he had sought to redeem himself by assisting Ra on his Solar Barque to defeat the chaos of darkness each night. But although he had been accepted by the majority of Gods, he still felt unwelcome among his closest compatriots. Because of this he tended to keep away from them.

Today was no exception. He was well aware that Atem and the priest who carried his name had brought that scoundrel Kek here. He was also well aware that there was a battle to determine the scoundrel's fate about to commence, and that Atem was stupidly putting himself in the middle of it.

But while Set was always up for a fight, he was otherwise occupied and could not really be bothered to get involved. He was happy to let the other Gods deal with this little problem, leaving him free to enjoy the company of Astarte while his wife, Nephthys, was not around.

As long as Atem and the priest did not do something stupid and get in the way he expected the fight to be straightforward enough for Ra and Osiris, but if things did get really ugly with Apep then he would consider helping out.

It was Hathor and Thoth who interrupted his late afternoon of fun, and they were not best amused with him.

"May I remind you of your duty as protector of the chosen Pharaoh?" Hathor scolded, fearing that fighting back the darkness while trying to save Atem from being devoured might be too much for Ra and Osiris alone.

"Either join in the fun or get out!" Set yelled, throwing his goblet of wine at them.

But, despite his quick temper, he still understood the danger Apep posed. He could also sense that chaos was threatening to upset Ma'at.

In the past he had been full of rage and had always been up for causing a bit of chaos himself. But fighting endless battles and carrying the burden of endless grudges had taken it toll and he had mellowed him somewhat, which was why he had agreed to protect Atem and take on the role of Obelisk The Tormentor; protector of the royal palace.

However, it still irked him that he had failed in his duty to prevent the palace, and Kemet, from being destroyed by Zorc and his minions. Either the Gods had over estimated their own power, or underestimated the amount of evil that had been released, because the demon had simply been too powerful for everyone contain, leaving them with no alternative but to resort to their last gamble of granting Atem the power to chant a ritual that would sacrifice himself, and put a temporary seal on Zorc until the three Gods could reconcile their own differences, enabling them to unify their power to defeat Zorc once and for all.

It had only taken three Millennia – a snapshot in time for Gods, but thousands of lifetimes for humans. During that time, they had been well aware of the torment Atem would be suffering in the void of chaos and darkness. All they could do was keep their fingers crossed in the hope his soul was strong enough to survive intact and not succumb to the darkness.

Thoughts of his own weaknesses when it came to chaos, along with the fear that the heroic young Pharaoh they had sought to protect might join with the darkness, was the nudge he needed to spark him into action.

Sighing so loudly that it sounded like a roar of rage, he got up and agreed to go and help.

Relieved that he was at last taking this seriously, Thoth handed him his tunic. "You must hurry!"

Snatching it, Set got dressed. "This won't take long, so don't go anywhere," he told Astarte, who was anything but amused and started pouting like a spoilt child.

Ignoring her, he fastened his kilt and left.

As he ran, he morphed into Obelisk The Tormentor. Thick blue armour covered his body and his size and muscle mass increased to enormous proportions. He was battle ready and one stride allowed him to cover the several miles with ease.

Pulling his fist back, he hit Apep with his God Hand Crusher.

For his size Obelisk was incredibly swift and quiet. Only Ra knew he was coming, and Osiris spotted him at the last moment.

But Apep did not notice him at all until he felt the crushing blow to the side of his head. The blow was so hard that his jaws were almost knocked clean from his head. He was thrown up into the air and when he landed he bit his tongue so hard that the muscle was severed.

"Urgh!" Kek almost gagged when the severed viper tongue spun through the air and landed at his feet.

Several hundred yards away from his tongue, Apep lay twitching on the ground. He had been knocked senseless for a few seconds, and as he came round he could see thousands of stars clouding his vision along with the sensation of blood in his jaws.

Slifer let out a roar and soared into the heavens, before swooping down ready to deliver a fireball from one of his mouths if need be.

But Apep appeared to be in no fit state to continue the fight so Slifer landed, changing back into his human form as he touched the ground.

Obelisk rubbed his hands together and with a flex of his giant neck muscles, changed back into his human form. "I heard you needed my help and it looks like I was just in the nick of time."

While grateful for Set's help, Osiris did not necessarily agree with the amount of violence Set had used. "Thank you. But I think we had the situation under control. And now look at the damage you've done!" He pointed at the tongue, writhing and wriggling on the sand.

"Set huffed. "Serves him right." He leaned forward, speared the tongue with his sword and casually walked over to Apep, who was laying prone on the sand making gurgling sounds as he breathed. "Here." He flung the tongue at the God. "In return for your tongue I demand that you spare the life of Atem."

Coughing, Apep spat a large lump of congealing blood. "He is not the one I require. But he stands in my way and therefore I will destroy him first," he lisped.

"Put your tongue back in. We can't understand you," Set laughed mockingly.

"Enough!" Ra ordered, instantly getting everyone's attention. "There will be no more violence. We will go about this democratically. When Kek's soul was initially judged by Osiris it weighed more than the feather of Ma'at, but because Atem asked that he be given a second chance it was agreed that he would be allowed into paradise. However, while he has made some progress, he still continues to cause trouble. I propose that he is judged for a second time, and should he pass the test he will go back to the afterlife. Should he fail, then he will be handed over to Apep."

"What?!" Kek shrieked. "No! That's not fair! You can't..." He trailed off as everyone seemed to be in agreement. "Pharaoh! Atem... Do something, please?" He hated pleading, but it was his only chance.

"I'm sorry." Atem gave him a sad smile. "I cannot go against Ra. It's now up to you to determine your fate. However, I have faith in you to pass the test this time."

Kek gulped and frowned at Atem. Did he really believe that Kek had a good heart? If so, he had more confidence in Kek than Kek had in himself.

Not wanting to be a coward, Kek stood tall and turned to face Osiris. "Okay! Let's get this bullshit over with."

Osiris rolled his eyes. The young tomb-keeper's attitude and cursing was certainly not going to help his case.

With his tongue reattached, Apep shook himself out and perked up at the thought of getting another soul. All thoughts of his damaged jaw and sore tongue were gone. There was no chance this human could pass the test.

Osiris produced the scales, and with one swift motion plunged his fist into Kek's chest. There was a flash of light and Kek braced himself for the inevitable strange sucking sensation he knew was coming. His body went rigid as his still beating heart was pulled from his chest.

Being a spirit there was no pain to accompany the ritual and no blood left his body; there was just a shimmering ball of magic inside the hole in his chest where his heart should be.

Osiris gently placed the organ on the scale opposite the feather. The scales wobbled slightly, tipping rather decisively in favour of the feather.

Believing he was doomed, Kek felt himself starting to cry. Unlike Bakura the darkness was never his friend. His host was terrified of the darkness and had created him to endure the darkness on his behalf. As Marik's scapegoat, he put up with it in return for power and the right to commit murder. But secretly Kek had always yearned for a future that involved light and happiness, in a house filled with laughter and love. But now that dream seemed unobtainable.

He was born a scapegoat and he would die a scapegoat.

For some reason he was unable to understand, he felt no malice or resentment towards Marik, or towards those who had all the nice things he didn't have; just a strange feeling of resignation to his fate.

He shuddered as his heart started to become lighter than its burden, and slowly but surely the scales started tipping the other way until they appeared to be virtually level.

Osiris tilted his head to study the scales, and to his surprise the unthinkable was happening – the scale containing the feather was starting to dip until it was actually weighing heavier than Kek's heart.

Kek put his hand over his mouth to steady his nervous breathing. Did this mean he passed the test?

Osiris scooped his heart up and placed it back in Kek's chest. "You are free to go back to the afterlife. But I implore you to stay on the straight and narrow from now on. Because if we ever have to deal with a situation involving you again, you will not get another chance."

"That test was clearly rigged! I demand the heart be weighed again," Apep lisped angrily, his mouth still swollen and full of blood.

God Set spun on him. "Are you accusing Osiris of cheating?"

"Yes!" Apep snapped indignantly.

Ra stepped forward. "I consider the debate about this man's soul over and done with. The new day will be dawning soon and the darkness still covers the land. Set! May I have your assistance in driving back the darkness?"

"It will be an honour," Set nodded.

Apep reared up and merged with the chaotic creatures of darkness, ready to take on Ra in the battle for supremacy over the skies once more.

The humans watched in awe as Set jumped aboard the second of Ra's solar barques, and together they drove it fearlessly into the darkness. The darkness snapped and snarled as it was pushed back until it completely vanished, leaving a brand new day to dawn.

::::::::::::

Time was ticking down for Yugi, Anzu and Kaiba. To keep himself occupied, Seto had been trying to re-calibrate their life support units to give them some extra time. He had already successfully transferred every ounce of power from the battery pack inside the soul exchange unit into their life support systems, and it had given them some more time. But now there was simply no more power left in the battery pack, and in fifteen minutes they would have to leave regardless of whether the others had returned or not. Seto would never admit it, but he did not want to leave without knowing that their 'friends' in the afterlife were all safe.

"What will happen if we ignore the timers and stay?" Anzu asked.

Seto shook his head. "Not possible. If for some reason I am unable to open a portal home, the safety function to automatically return us."

"Well, I'm confident they will be back any minute," Yugi said hopefully, but with not much confidence. He did not want to alarm everyone, but Mahado was like a statue – pale and lifeless; he was really worried about them.

One of the priests from the temple entered the alter room and cleared his throat. "Excuse me? It is almost dawn. I need to honour the Gods and welcome in the new day."

"Of course." From the seat where she was anxiously waiting, nibbling at her nails, Teana looked up at the window through which the first signs of a lightening sky were just beginning to appear. "Go ahead," she told them. In all honesty, she could use the distraction of the ritual to take her mind off why it was taking Atem and Priest Set so long to plead for Kek's soul. And Mahado was still in his trance and showed no sign of waking. But at lease he was not showing any signs of stress – a good thing, she supposed.

The priest bowed before his Queen and then approached the alter.

Another priest placed offerings of wine, beer, fruit and vegetables for the Gods to feast on.

At the sight of all the food, Yugi felt his tunny rumble with hunger.

Seto must have heard it because he shot Yugi a knowing look. "Take some. I dare you," he smirked.

Yugi frowned at him. He felt embarrassed when one of the priests, believing him to be the brother of Atem and therefore a prince, offered him some fresh dates. Blushing, he took a few but was too embarrassed to start eating them in front of everyone, so he stuffed them in the pocket in his suit.

As the sun rapidly started to rise higher in the sky, light began to bathe the temple in daylight. Teana joined the priests, who willingly stepped aside too allow her to ask the Gods to keep her husband and her friends from harm and return them safely.

Close by, Mahado suddenly started to come out of his meditative state. Yawning rather loudly, he blinked and rubbed his eyes. He was always slightly dazed after going into a trance to summon his alter ego and it took him several seconds to remember where he was.

Yugi was first to his side. "Mahado! You're back!" He knew he was stating the obvious, but he did not care. He just wanted everyone to be safe. "Where's Atem?"

"Are they all okay?" Anzu asked anxiously.

Nodding wearily, Mahado smiled and reached out to grip Yugi's arm to stabilise himself as he stood. "Everyone is safe. In fact, they should be..."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a bright flash of light and the wall behind the alter appeared to become translucent. When three people stepped out of the shimmering wall, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Teana ran to Atem and hugged him. "Thank Ra you're safe."

Atem chuckled. "Well... actually, we should probably thank the Gods; Ra, Osiris and Set."

"What happened?" Yugi asked, full of relief that Atem was safe. He gestured at Kek. "How did you persuade Apep not to eat him?"

Atem looked slightly sheepish as he grinned. "I didn't. It took Obelisk the Tormentor to knock a bit of sense into Apep, quite literally," he chuckled, and although he was exhausted he started to give a brief account of what had happened.

"Yeah! You should have seen it?" Kek interrupted, laughing maniacally. "When Obelisk hit him he knocked the bastard's tongue right out of his mouth. It was awesome."

"Priest Set rolled his eyes. "I seem to recall you squealed like a little girl and almost threw up."

"I did not!" Kek scowled defensively. "Anyway! I would like to see your reaction to a giant, venom filled snake tongue almost hitting you."

Everyone smirked, and Bakura laughed loudly. "You pathetic wimp!" He playfully punched his 'not really a friend' on the shoulder, which was his way of showing he was pleased Kek had been spared.

"Come on," Kek retorted, all his fear and anxiety from before now gone. "Let's get out of here. I'm in desperate need of beer and women."

"Just one thing before you go." Atem called to the pair. They both turned and glared at him. "Stay out of trouble. I will not be so lenient next time. Got that?"

Mumbling a few swear words, the pair walked away, without even a thank you.

Yugi sighed. "Well, that's gratitude for you!"

Kaiba huffed. "Beats me why you bothered to save either of them in the first place?! I would have let them both rot in hell."

"That's because you have even less of a heart than they do," said Anzu, rolling her eyes at the pair of scoundrels as they mounted Bakura's horse.

Teana cuddled up to Atem with a proud smile. "That's why Atem is such a good Pharaoh and a favourite of the Gods. He looks after all of his people no matter what they do, and he is able to see the good in people even when others may not."

"He gets his kind heart from my Yugi," Anzu smiled, cuddling up to her man. Yugi chuckled bashfully at the comment and wrapped an arm around his wife.

"If you say so," he grinned cheekily. "Anyone hungry?" He reached into the pocket in his suit and pulled out the slightly squashed dates.

Atem rolled his eyes and the corner of his mouth twitched into a slight smirk. "Despite my hunger I think I will pass on those, thank you, Yugi." He then turned to the priests from the temple. "We would be grateful if you could offer us something to eat before we make our way home. Something other than squashed dates." He raised an eyebrow at Yugi as he spoke the last part. Yugi just shrugged and popped the dates into his own mouth.

The priests from the temple were delighted and honoured that their Pharaoh should request they provide breakfast for himself and his friends.

Atem turned to his three living friends. "I trust you will join us for some food?"

Yugi and Anzu sagged, while Seto frowned.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you all," Seto replied. "But we need to leave. We only have a few minutes left before the computer will automatically return us home."

"That's a shame," the disappointment was evident in Teana's voice. "It would be nice for us to spend time together socially. We only ever seem to meet up when there is a threat."

Everyone could definitely agree. It certainly did appear that they were destined to only ever meet up when lives were being threatened.

"I'm pretty sure that will be possible very soon," Seto stated confidently. "With the recent technological advances I have been making we will soon be able to transport our minds into a new dimension I am creating. Of course, my main goal is to get the pair of you in one place so that I can beat you and Yugi in a duel, both at the same time," he bragged, staring straight at Atem with a smirk. Despite the distraction of marriage and fatherhood, the fact that he had never beaten either of them was still painful. But at least he was now using the pain to fuel his ambitions for success – he was making huge advances in technology and it was already revolutionising, not only gaming, but also the way in which people were starting to interact with the universe around them. It had made him one of the wealthiest, most powerful men in the world. But despite all this success, the icing on the cake would still be to beat Yugi and Atem in a duel.

Of course, this latest challenge was red rag to a bull and Atem's hackles visibly rose in response. "Is that so? Then I look forward to teaching you yet another lesson... Kaiba!"

Yugi had also turned to face Seto and was mirroring Atem's posture. "You won't stand a chance, Kaiba."

Seto huffed and smirked nastily. "Is that so, Yugi?"

Anzu rolled her eyes and stepped forward, right in the middle of the posturing trio. "Will you three boys stop behaving like idiots in front of these nice people?" She scolded. Yugi softened his stance in response to his wife's plea, and apologised, but Atem and Seto seemed to be enjoying this battle of wills too much to care about what others thought.

Teana remembered how, as young teens, Atem and Set would challenge each other to various games. They were both highly competitive and their games had once ended in fists. Being stronger, Set pinned Atem down and had to be pulled off by Atem's personal guards. But despite being the smaller, younger boy, Atem still goaded him that he would never win. He even managed to lash out and give Set a black eye!

But this rivalry was different, and Teana could smell the testosterone rolling off her husband. "Will you just stop it?! You're like little boys that refuse to grow up! It's just a game for Ra's sake. And what did your father used to say to you when you and Set used to fight?"

Atem scowled at her. She was ruining their fun. Couldn't she see that part of the game was to out-psyche each other! But then he remembered his father telling him and Set off for being such terrible losers and arrogant winners. He made them do extra studies with Aknadin as punishment. "You're right. I'm sorry." He touched her face and the fire in his eyes softened as he relaxed his fighting stance.

He walked over to a slightly surprised Seto and offered a handshake. "I look forward to beating you, I mean meeting you, for our next battle," he said, with a wry smile.

Seto snorted, accepting the handshake with a chuckle. "Likewise. But I wouldn't be so flippant if I were you." He made sure to give Atem his most crushing handshake; the one he normally reserved for business meetings when he wanted to demonstrate his authority over those he considered inferior. It did not work on Atem however, and Seto received an equally crushing handshake in return. If either of them were in pain, neither flinched.

Mahado cleared his throat to get their attention. The two priests from the temple were gathering food together and were waiting for them.

Realising they only had less than a minute before they would have to go, Yugi was keen to say a quick goodbye.

For a second, Atem's eyes met Anzu's and she blushed as she remembered waking up in his bed and the embarrassment that followed. She was sure she saw a slight dusting of pink on his cheeks as well.

Appearing not to notice the look that passed between his wife and his friend, Yugi stepped forward and gave Atem a big hug. "Let's make sure we kick Kaiba's butt when we next duel," he whispered, It was meant as a joke, but it was a serious one.

"I can certainly agree with you on that Yugi," Atem replied, wheezing at the strength in Yugi's bear hug.

Yugi stepped away. "Oh! I almost forgot." He reached into the slot in wrist unit and pulled out a couple of photographs that had been carefully rolled. "I thought you might like these." He handed them to Atem, who looked at them and smiled fondly at the memory. They were of the gang, and Atem was in control of Yugi's body. One of the photos was taken before they realised he was not another side of Yugi, and before he knew he was a Pharaoh! He remembered it being at the height of Anzu's crush on him; when she went out of her way to bring out what she thought was a brave, handsome and more mature side of Yugi. He remembered the conflict he felt and the hurt Yugi was feeling over her preference towards his 'other self'. It all seemed so long ago now, but he still wondered if deep down, the hurt still remained in Yugi's heart – he hoped not.

When he looked up at Yugi, it was with a tear in his eye. "I will treasure these forever Yugi. Thank you." He tucked them into a pouch in his kilt.

"Until we meet again," said Yugi. Holding his hand up in a farewell gesture, he stepped backwards and turned to take his wife by the hand as they joined Kaiba. He felt emotional. These goodbyes never got any easier.

Kaiba had already walked a safe distance away so that he could open a conduit the living world and return home, and was waiting impatiently. "Will you hurry up Yugi? I can't keep this portal open indefinitely."

The small group of long deceased Ancient Egyptians watched as the trio readied themselves for the bumpy ride through the barriers.

Teana raised a hand to wave. "Thank you for taking good care of me Yugi. And remember to give Little Atem a kiss from me!" She would miss that dear little boy.

"I will." He waved back, stepped into the portal with and was gone.

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**Thank you for reading.**

**Please leave a review :-)**


	13. Kek's Wishes

What with work, going to stay with my parents and my auntie's funeral, I have had a really busy couple of weeks and have not had time to turn on my laptop, let alone edit stories. I was hoping to post this this afternoon but have been asked to work this afternoon as we have a function and are short staffed! The final chapter is quite long and some of it needs rewriting. So what I have decided to do is break it into three parts; starting with Kek and Bakura, then Atem and Teana, and the final part will be Yugi and Anzu. That way I will have time to finish editing the last part.

Warnings: A bit of foul-mouthing and lewdness, but nothing much else.

Disclaimer: A reminder that I do not own Yugioh.

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Chapter 12.

Kek's Wish.

Taking several big gulps of his large mug of beer, Kek made a satisfied sound of appreciation in the form of a loud belch, before placing the now half empty mug down.

He wiped the back of his hand across his chin to catch the dribble. "Nothing like a brush with death to make you appreciate the finer things in life," he said, almost thoughtfully.

Bakura snorted, almost spitting out his own mouthful of beer. "Before you start considering a future as a philosopher, I should remind you that you're already dead."

Kek rolled his eyes. "It was a figure of speech... Moron!"

"Twat!" Bakura hissed.

"Arsehole!" Kek retorted.

"Wanker." Bakura gave him a nasty smile. "I can keep the insults going all day, so you should give up now."

Kek huffed. "Where are the women? I need some relief."

Bakura snickered. "If you want some quick relief, I can oblige?" He was mostly joking, but would not rule it out if the lack of women situation became desperate.

Kek scowled. "I would need to be extremely desperate to let your calloused hands anywhere near my most prized asset!"

"Who said anything about hands?" Bakura snickered, sticking his tongue out obscenely.

"Ugh! Even I'm repulsed, and that's saying someth..." He trailed off mid sentence when he spotted two rather busty looking ladies walking into the Winking Camel pub.

Bakura swivelled in his seat to see what his accomplice was looking at, and smiled his best sexy smile, which to many might be rather alarming. "Well, hello lovely ladies. If you're looking for two perfect gentleman then you've come to the right place."

The two women swaggered over. One of them remembered Bakura from when they were both living. He was always rather rough. But she did not remember ever seeing the other man who was with him and was intrigued. "You can fuck off Bakura," she huffed, sneering at him. "You bite too hard! But I would like to know who your cute friend is?" Her expression softened and she purred, flashing a sexy smile at Kek.

"Him!" Bakura snorted, indignantly. "Cute?! Don't make me laugh."

Kek stuck his middle finger up at Bakura triumphantly and then reached his hand out to the woman. "My name is K... Malik," he gushed, deciding to abandon the previous name he had chosen – it reminded him too much of Apep. She accepted his hand and he pulled her into his lap. "And what is your name, beautiful?"

She snorted disparagingly. She was a professional woman and saw through his smarmy act. But when he reached into a leather pouch tied around his waist and pulled out a gold coin she changed her tune and reverted to the sensual charm. "I rather like beautiful," she cooed, running her hand over his chest. "Would you like to come with me?" As quick as a thief, she plucked the coin from his fingers and pocketed it, before standing up, grabbing his hand and leading him outside.

On the way out, Kek shot Bakura a triumphant smirk and winked at him.

Bakura ignored him, instead turning his attention to the other woman, whom he realised he had never met before.

Outside the pub, Kek and his female companion made their way around to the rear of the stables with the intention of having sex. But Kek stopped in his tracks when he spotted something that made his heart race even faster than the prospect of a quickie behind the stables with a big busted woman.

"What's wrong...?" Beautiful scowled when he stopped walking and turned away from her. Had he changed his mind? Well, too bad because she was not giving him back his gold coin.

"Oh my God!" He exclaimed. "C.. can you see it?" He wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him.

"See what?" Beautiful was confused.

"There," he pointed, his eyes lighting up with joy.

She narrowed her eyes in confusion at the shiny blue and silver contraption. "What is it?" She had never seen anything like it and was nervous.

"It's a Harley Davidson Sportster!" He gasped. "My other self stole one once. I always dreamed of owning one for myself but never imagined it was possible here! But how? Osiris must have..." He giggled crazily. He couldn't give a crap what magic had been used to create his dream machine, just as long as it was not just an illusion. "Come on! I'll take you for a ride." Tugging her along, he ran towards the motorcycle. She tried to resist but he had a tight grip and was too strong for her.

Unable to contain his excitement, spun her around in his arms. "You'll absolutely love it!" He grinned, ignoring the fact that she did not share his excitement.

Still gripping her hand so that she could not run away, he swung his leg over his dream machine and gave her little choice but to climb on behind him. She put her hands over her ears and screamed when he started the engine.

"Ahhh... Listen to that sound. Isn't she beautiful?" He turned around and pulled her hands away from her head and rolled his eyes. "Don't be afraid. She doesn't bite." She scowled at him in response.

"I thought I was supposed to be beautiful?" She grumbled.

"You are," he said, trying to placate her. "You're both beautiful. Now, hold on tight, because from now on you're my biker chick," he joked. She did not have a clue what he was talking about, but he had paid for her time and if this was how he got off then it was not her place to argue. Cautiously, she did as he asked and put her arms around his waist.

As he pulled away, she yelped and held on even tighter.

But as they rode along the desert track into the sunset, she started to understand why he felt the way he did about this strange beast.

Bakura and his companion for the night, emerged from the bar just in time to see them riding off. Bakura's eyes went wide with surprise and then he grinned. "You lucky bastard!" Was all he could think to say.

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**I know it's short, but hopefully the next part will be posted tomorrow.**


	14. Feelings

My first draft of this was a bit garbled so I have ended up re-writing much of it. Unfortunately I have not had time to do so! That is why it has taken so long to post.

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Chapter 13.

Feelings.

Although they had eaten well, thanks to the priests from the temple, they were still feeling exhausted when they arrived back at the palace.

The journey had been long and tedious; not helped by Priest Set who seemed intent on giving Atem a hard time over his decision to save Kek and then let him and Bakura go free again.

As usual neither man would back down from the argument, until Teana and Mahado told them both to shut up!

After that the journey was spent mostly in silence, with Set sulking and Atem brooding.

The silence gave Atem plenty of opportunity to think about his friends in the living world. He was already missing Yugi and Anzu, and, dare he admit, Kaiba. Seeing them again was making him question where he truly belonged. He knew his place was supposed to be here, but he found it impossible not to be torn between the two worlds.

Although he never spoke openly about his feelings, there were times when he wished he had never been chosen by the Gods to fulfil a destiny he did not ask for. Teana had confessed too him her own feelings about the cruelty of it all. Being denied a long and happy life together as a family had broken her heart. She had never re-married.

"What is done is done," he said, more abrasively than intended. "I cannot change things, therefore it is not worth dwelling on." He was not happy with himself for his response. He always did guard his true feelings well and keep his cards close to his chest. He liked to call it his gamer's instinct, but in truth it was just the way he was. Whether or not Teana sensed his deeply buried anguish or not, he was unsure, but she left the subject alone after that.

But deep inside it truly did hurt him to know that he had never been given the chance to be a good husband and a proper father to the son he never knew.

But, if... There was always an if or a but. If he had lived to a ripe old age and enjoyed a long reign as Pharaoh, he would never have met Yugi and been part of his life.

Teana rode beside him in silence. She was itching to tell him all about her experience of being Anzu in the living world, but was not sure if he was ready to hear it. He was brooding and it was never a good time to talk to him when he was brooding. She remembered how cheerful and funny he used to be when she first met him. He certainly never brooded like he did now. He refused to talk about it, but whatever happened to him during those three thousand years of being trapped inside the darkness had changed him.

She was relieved when they finally got back to the palace. As soon as they were alone they could talk more openly in private, and hopefully he would cheer up.

However, as soon as they had handed their horses over to the stable boys to look after, they were confronted by the other priests. Rumours had been circulating the palace about why the four of them had taken their horses and headed out into the desert in the middle of a festival.

The court wanted an explanation as to where they had gone, and why? If something was threatening the afterlife then they wanted to know about it.

But Atem dismissed them, saying it was nothing they should be concerned about – it had been dealt with and was over. He and Teana needed to clean up and get some rest. He would call a meeting and explain everything tomorrow.

Set and Mahado were not discussing anything either. Set gave his fellow priests short shrift and went to make amends with Kisara for disappearing without telling her he was going.

Mahado was left to face the priests and noblemen on his own. Sensing his discomfort, Isis quickly dragged him back to their private chambers. She may have lost the gift of foresight, but she still had pretty sharp intuition.

Not happy at being brushed aside, Siamun followed the young Royal couple to their chambers. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that Kek has been seen riding around on a strange contraption, frightening people?"

Atem turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"I haven't seen it. But they say it has a body that gleams under Ra's light. It moves on two wheels and roars like a dragon. It can outrun even a horse! People are frightened. They say it's a dragon that spits the fire of demons from a silver tail."

Atem shook his head and laughed. "You're kidding me, right? I think you just described a motorcycle."

Siamun looked perplexed. "Is the world going mad?" He stood between Atem and his chambers with his hands on his hips, and gave Atem that 'I'm your grandfather, so don't bullshit me boy,' look. "You would tell me if we are all in danger?"

Atem rolled his eyes. "Of course I would! You don't need to worry about the motorcycle. It's pretty harmless when ridden sensibly. I guess the Gods took pity on him. And if it keeps the moron happy, then I'm pleased. Now if you would excuse us?"

Huffing, Siamun stepped to one side.

"Thank you, Grandpa." Atem patted the old man on the shoulder and winked at Teana. She giggled and the couple went into their chambers, leaving Siamun standing in the corridor.

The old man shook his head. Since when did his grandson become so informal.

After bathing and changing into some clean, comfortable robes to relax in, Teana joined Atem in his quarters.

She watched him as he swirled wine around in his goblet and then gulped it down.

He looked up at her and gave her a nostalgic smile. "How was the living world?"

"I thought you were never going to ask!" She teased, sitting down on the couch opposite him and placing her embroidery down beside her.

He poured them both a goblet of wine and handed one to her. She thanked him.

"I wanted to ask you during the ride back," he said. "But this is personal and I didn't want to talk about it while Set and Mahado were there."

She smiled at him lovingly. "I understand that." She sipped her wine and placed it on the table between them. She then got up and scurried round to join him on his couch.

He took her hands eagerly and she could see the little spark in his eyes that always ignited when he was about to talk about Yugi and their friends in the living world. "Well," she began, taking a breath. "I was frightened at first. I woke up on a polished wooden floor in unfamiliar surroundings. I was afraid, but Yugi was very kind and quickly made me feel at ease."

He smiled. "That sounds like Yugi. He's always kind to people. It's a trait I wish I possessed."

She squeezed his hands and rubbed the backs of them with her thumbs. "You were a kind and joyful young man when we first met," she implored. "You were always so full of energy, and you loved having fun with your friends."

He chuckled, biting his lip and looking down. "I forgot who I was for a long time. I guess the darkness can ruin a person."

She shook her head sadly. "You still have the kindness and compassion in you. That was demonstrated when you saved Kek and Bakura. You just find it harder to express your more frivolous side now."

He nodded thoughtfully. "I was so angry when I first met Yugi." He tensed and she felt him inadvertently squeeze her hand a little too hard. "I wanted to punish everyone who trespassed on our soul." He stopped short of saying how he had even been prepared to kill without mercy. He swallowed down the bile that came with that thought and relaxed. "Let's not talk about me. You are supposed to be telling me about your experience of the living world."

She nodded, shaking her hands out, prompting him to blush apologetically.

As she talked the corner of his mouth curled into just the smallest hint of a smile.

He chuckled when she told him how much she enjoyed the modern bathing facilities. "Yugi always removed the Puzzle when he took a shower," he reflected. "He was at least entitled to some privacy."

She was surprised at first, but then it made sense that Yugi would want to have some alone time. "You never got to use the fluffy towels?" She asked.

He grinned. "Actually, I did get to use them once or twice. Yugi wanted me to to experience some of the enjoyable things in life. He felt it was unfair that I only ever got to be in control when we faced danger. He even suggested I go to Burger world with his friends, while he stayed inside his soul room to give me privacy."

She smiled. "That was nice of him."

"It was. Except for the burger – that was awful." They chuckled. Perhaps she had a lucky escape not trying a burger!

"I didn't eat a burger, but Yugi did make me hot chocolate," she said. "He said it was your favourite."

He almost licked his lips at the memory. "It was. Did you like it?"

"It was delicious," she replied, licking her lips. "You know? I'm sure if the Gods can give Kek his dream motorcycle. then I'm sure they can give us some chocolate."

He nodded enthusiastically. "It's the least we deserve. I will arrange it." Why had he never thought to ask for chocolate? This was the afterlife, where anything you desired was supposed to be possible!

But everything Atem desired was not possible. He could not live in both worlds... or could he?

He had berated Kaiba for interfering with the balance of Ma'at, and had confiscated the cube from him. But just as Atem knew he would, Kaiba ignored the warnings and continued his dimensional experiments anyway.

Kaiba was now close to perfecting his own dimension, Atem was sure of that. And when he did finally get it working reliably, then maybe he would be able to have the best of both worlds after all.

He picked up the two photographs Yugi had given him and held them up for them both to gaze at. "Was it your idea to bring these?" He said, warmth and nostalgia were bubbling up inside his chest. He was trying not to cry.

"Yugi has made a book full of his memories of you. I suggested we bring these for you as a keepsake. I hope you like them." For a moment she wondered if she had done the right thing. He hardly ever cried, but she could hear the emotion in his voice.

When he looked at her, he was smiling but his eyes were watery. He nodded. "I will treasure them forever. Thank you."

She leaned in and kissed him gently. "I used to be a little envious of the bond you have with Yugi, but now I understand what you two shared is unique. He is like the brother you lost when you were very young, and also the son you never knew."

"Am I a sentimental fool for believing my baby brother's soul is given life in Yugi?" He laughed and sniffed, embarrassed about his tears.

"Of course not!" She stroked his tear stained cheek. This was the most he had ever opened up and she loved him all the more for it. "I like to believe that the souls of all infants taken away at birth are given another chance at life." There was a moment of thoughtful silence between them before she spoke again. "I love you so much when you show your softer side. You are usually so stoic and sometimes I worry about you bottling up your true feelings."

He shrugged. "I was taught to be that way. A King can't be seen as weak. But I don't mean to appear unapproachable. I think that the danger I faced and the way I died, followed by my long isolation with no sense of who, or what, I was has made me the way I am now. If not for Yugi I would be a demon."

"I'm sure the Gods knew what they were doing. That is why they chose Yugi to re-assemble the Millennium Puzzle and save you."

"I think you're right." He was done talking about the darkness and leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away. Up until now, she had pushed it to the back of her mind. She thought she trusted him, but jealousy was a funny thing and right now it was nagging at her.

"Before we share any intimacy. I would like you to promise nothing happened with Anzu."

He startled slightly and rolled his eyes, but could not meet her imploring gaze. "Why do you ask? You already know the answer."

"Atem!" She said, accusingly. "She woke up in your bed, naked. So please, be honest with me."

He sighed, "You have to remember I thought she was you when I first awoke. But I swear that nothing happened. I put my arms around her and... but she stopped me and told me who she was." He scrunched his face up. "This is too embarrassing to admit, but..." When she narrowed her eyes at him, he confessed. "Okay, okay... I might have woken up with an erection but nothing happened, she..."

Teana held her hand up. "I apologise if I seem jealous. It's not your fault for being a virile man, and you didn't know know she wasn't me."

He bit his lip and cringed. "Am I always that horny when I wake up?"

"Yes!" She nodded. "And after three thousand years without you, I wouldn't have it any other way. You are forgiven."

"I have a lot of making up to do," he grinned. "Are you sure I'm forgiven?"

"Of course you are. For all you know I might have slept in Yugi's bed with him!" There was a teasing, seductive edge to her voice and he felt himself growing hard when she circled her hand on his bare thigh and then danced her fingers underneath the hem of his kilt.

"Do you have no shame woman?" He growled, pushing her dress off her shoulder so that he could trace his hand over her collar bone and inside her dress to cup her breast. "But I know you didn't sleep with him. I trust you, and I know Yugi would never take advantage of you."

She giggled. "You are the only man I have ever loved," she admitted.

He made a satisfied humming sound as he captured her mouth, kissing her passionately and pushing her down onto the couch.

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**The final part will be posted just as soon as it's ready.**

**Please review.**


	15. Home At Last

Here is the last chapter. I hope you like it.

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Chapter 14.

Home At Last.

Anzu could barely stand upright when they arrived back in Seto's private laboratory.

Waiting for them was a nervous, anxious Mokuba and a very worried, angry Sara.

When Seto had not returned home last night, Mokuba had used the excuse that there had been an urgent call for him to deal with a problem at Duel Academy, and that was where he had gone. This morning she had been trying to reach him to say the twins were unwell, and that the children's nanny had diagnosed them as having Chicken Pox.

Concerned when she discovered that no one at Duel Academy had seen him, and already knowing that he had not been to the office at all, she had grown worried.

Her immediate thought was to check the laboratory, where she found Mokuba manning the control panels. It did not take her long to force a confession out of him.

Seto glowered at his brother for telling his wife the truth.

"I'm sorry Seto, but what was I supposed to say?! It's not fair! You always leave me to cover up for you and I'm done with lying."

Seto's jaw twitched. "I'm not arguing with you about it now Mokuba. Anzu needs help. Get the medi-kit."

As Seto spoke, Mokuba noticed that Yugi was standing behind Seto. His almost unconscious wife was draped over his shoulder and Yugi was having to hold her upright.

"Shit!" Mokuba gasped, immediately running to the cupboard where they kept an oxygen kit, defibrillator and radiation burns kit.

Sara forgot about being angry at her husband. "What happened?" She ran over to help Yugi with Anzu, who's legs had completely buckled.

"I's okay. I've got her." Yugi scooped Anzu up bridle stile and carried her over to a padded bench seat.

He placed her down and Seto quickly put monitors on her to check her vitals.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when he said it appeared to be nothing more than severe exhaustion. But the monitor said she was very dehydrated and needed fluids.

"Carry her upstairs and I will get the nurse to put in an IV to get some fluids into her quickly," Seto explained. Luckily, the children's nanny was a qualified nurse and was used to dealing with most of the Kaiba family's medical needs.

Nodding, Yugi lifted her up again and followed Mokuba upstairs to one of the guest rooms.

"I should phone Grandpa," said Yugi. "We've been gone longer than I said we would. They'll be wondering where we are."

It was a difficult conversation. They had been worried sick and his mother gave him a bit of telling off when he told her they had been so immersed in testing Kaiba's new virtual reality game, that was being designed for Kaiba Land, that they had lost all track of time. He hated lying to his mother, but he could hardly tell her that Anzu had swapped bodies with a long dead Egyptian Queen so he and Kaiba had gone to the afterlife to save them both. Apologising, he explained that they were just holding a debriefing meeting and would be home shortly. His mother seemed to buy his explanation, but Yugi suspected that Grandpa had already guessed where they had really been.

After some IV fluids, a cup of Miso soup, followed by some Oreo cookies, Anzu felt much better and was able to go home.

"I'm sorry I worried you Yugi." Needing sleep, she yawned as they drove away from the mansion. "It's such a relief to be myself again, but I'm so exhausted. Being a dead person kinda sucks..." she shivered at the thought; technically, she had been a spirit in the afterlife for a day and a half.

He looked at her and smiled. He was relieved to see she had some colour back in her cheeks and that her sense of humour had returned. "But I bet being with Atem was cool. I kind of envy you."

She raised a teasing eyebrow at him. "Are you saying you wish you could have been Queen Teana instead of me?" Her lips pursed as she tried to repress her amusement.

He blushed and gaped at her. "No! I'm not... I mean. You already know he's more like a brother to me. What I meant was.. just getting to spend time with him. By the way, what did you two do together?" His voice sounded a bit tight and she sensed he was a little worried her old crush on Atem might had been re-ignited.

"Yeah... It was nice to see him," she said, casually. "But being Royalty isn't all that great. Servants follow you everywhere and you hardly get any privacy. They even help you wash and dress!" There was a slight grimace on her face as she spoke.

"Really?! I never thought about that. Does Atem let them wash and dress him too?" He could not hep but snicker at the thought of Atem letting someone else wash and dress him. His dear friend was quite a private person at heart.

"I thought you and Atem shared memories?"

He snorted. "We didn't share things like that! It was mostly gaming strategies and nice childhood memories – stuff like that."

She nodded. "I was surprised too. But, yeah, he let's his servants tend to his needs. Royalty is a bit pampered and spoilt to be honest."

There was a moment of silence as they waited at some traffic lights. She watched him fidget a bit, while drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He only ever got like that when something was on his mind but he did not like to ask. "What's wrong Yugi? If you're thinking about my feelings for Atem then you shouldn't worry. I outgrew my crush a long time ago."

He cringed slightly. "I wasn't...!" He bit his lip. "Am I that obvious?"

She nodded and reached out and squeezed his thigh. "I know you too well. But you have my word. I don't feel anything romantic towards him. It's you I love." She felt him shiver slightly under her touch and decided that while he was driving was not a good time to confess to waking up with no clothes on in Atem's bed, with his arm draped over her.

"I believe you. But we should talk when we get home." There was no malice or accusation in his voice as such, but she sensed that he knew more than he was letting on and was giving her the chance to be honest with him.

"Yeah. Of course." A chill ran down her spine and she suppressed a shudder. Had Teana told him where she was right before they were swapped? Or had a silent communication passed between him and Atem? "Have you heard of the Tekh festival?"

He shook his head. "I don't think so. I hope it's not like an orgy?" He snickered.

"Yugi!" Anzu blurted, resisting the urge to slap him, just in case he lost control of the car. "Sometimes I think too much of Jonouchi's bad influence has rubbed off on you." However, she still giggled, because given what Atem had told her he was not that far off the mark. "It's actually a feast of drunkenness to honour Hathor."

Yugi chuckled. "Drunkenness that results in orgies, I expect." She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, I didn't witness any. We were too busy trying to find Kek and worrying about Teana and me."

It was only then that she realised they were pulling up on the forecourt of Kame Game. The traffic was nowhere near as bad at this time of the day and it had only taken them fifteen minutes.

Anzu's emotions flooded over when she scooped her son into her arms and kissed his soft, pudgy face. There had been moments where she thought she might never cuddle her baby boy again and she was overjoyed to see him. Confused that his mother was crying, Little Atem started crying as well.

It brought tears to Yugi's eyes to watch their tearful reunion.

His mother entered the room and looked at him with slight surprise as she placed the tray of drinks on the table. What on earth was going on? Her daughter-in-law was such a together sort of girl, who was never known to be tearful in front of others. What could possibly have happened while they were testing Kaiba's latest game that was resulting in such an emotional outpouring? "Exactly how dangerous is this virtual reality game Yugi?" She recalled him going off for days on end when he was a teenager and coming home with bloodied, singed and torn clothing. Sugoroku always seemed to cover for him. But the pleasant old man had been a wayward rogue in his younger days and she worried he was leading her sweet, innocent boy down the same path with his stories of tomb robbing and gambling. That Duel Monsters game had landed both of them in the hospital, but none of Yugi's friends would tell her what the heck was going on either because they too seemed to get into similar scrapes.

Blushing, Yugi shrugged. "It wasn't dangerous Mum!" He lied. "The game was... erm, we had to rescue children from a child eating dragon." That was the only thing he could think to say, and he grimaced when his mother looked at him with horror.

"I certainly don't know what to say to that," she said, shaking her head in dismay.

"Virtual reality can seem very real to those participating. Such is the bond between Anzu and her own child that the grief felt during the game was real." Sugoroku winked at Yugi as he spoke.

"Yeah, that's true Grandpa," Yugi smiled. "Anyway. We should be getting home."

"But, Yugi! I've just made some tea!" His mother complained. "And I have some of your favourite chocolate cake."

"It's okay Yugi. I'm fine now," Anzu smiled through her tears. "I was remembering that horrid dragon eating those poor little children in that game. I just came over a bit silly." She turned to Yugi's mother and bowed her head respectfully. "Thank you Mrs Muto, we would love to stay for some tea and cake." Yugi smirked at how Grandpa and Anzu both corroborated his story about the game. His mother rolled her eyes at him.

But an unspoken line was drawn and there were no more awkward questions.

::::::::::::

Stepping through the front door into her own home, Anzu paused by the door into the dance studio. She tried the handle but it was locked.

"The key's upstairs," said Yugi.

"Oh, okay." She let out a sigh. "I just wanted to go in there. I know it won't happen again, but I..." she let out a strained, embarrassed laugh. "I just wanted to see where it happened. It might get rid of my fears." She collected herself and her posture stiffened. "We should let the students know I'm well and lessons can start again tomorrow."

Yugi wanted to hug her but was carrying their sleeping son. "You sure about that? Maybe you should take a day off to rest."

She rounded on him. "I'm okay Yugi! Stop fussing," she snapped.

He was a little taken aback. "Hey! I'm not fussing. Just suggesting..."

"Well don't, okay?" She sagged against the wall. "I'm sorry Yugi. I'm just a bit stressed. Being back home is a reminder. I'm really scared of it happening again."

He adjusted the weight of his sleeping son so that he could put an arm around her shoulders. "I won't let anything like that happen to you again. From now on, I will make sure Kaiba doesn't do any more experiments without at least one of us there to monitor what he's up to."

"I wish I had your confidence. But it wasn't just Kaiba. All it needs is for someone else, like Kek, to be a jerk and BAM! Someone else ends up hurt."

"I don't think Kek will..." he began, but Anzu had not finished.

"You have no idea how scary it was Yugi. I went from happily teaching my students, to waking up frightened and..." She stopped short. Crap! She nearly blurted it out that she was naked in Atem's bed.

But Yugi did not seem to notice. He was too busy being reminded of his own terrifying experience. "I can assure you I do know what it feels like to have your soul ripped from your body. I nearly got fed to the Leviathan, remember?"

Anzu looked at him and frowned. "I'm sorry. I forgot about that."

"It's okay." He winked at her. "You'll soon put it behind you. When I remember Atem, I forget about the dangerous, bad things we did and just think about all the good moments." He leaned over and kissed her lips gently.

She smiled weakly. "I just need a good night's sleep and hopefully everything will seem better in the morning."

They made their way up the stairs to the living area. "Is there anything you would like me to do for you?" Yugi asked.

"Perhaps you could put Atem in his bed." She smiled wearily and bent down to kiss the sleeping toddler in Yugi's arms. "Grandpa must have worn him out!" She smiled.

"Yeah! I bet Grandpa's asleep by now too. They wear each other out!"

"They certainly do. I think I will go and have a shower and then go and have a lie down."

He nodded. "I will put this little guy in his cot and then I might join you," he checked himself "–not in the shower! For a sleep. I'm kinda tired too." He had not thought about how exhausted he was feeling until now. It had been an emotional day and a half.

"I wouldn't mind you joining me in the shower. I'll feel safer if you're there. But if Atem wakes up we won't hear him."

He winked at her. "That's okay. I'll keep watch and then use the shower after you. Then maybe we can have a cuddle?"

"I'd like that. But no more than a cuddle. I'm not sure I'm up to more."

"Hey! I wasn't even going to suggest it. I just want to look after you." He was not expecting her to be, and was certainly not entertaining the thought of having sex after the way she had collapsed only a couple of hours ago.

As soon as they had both showered, changed and checked Little Atem was still sleeping soundly, they snuggled down on the bed together for an afternoon nap. "You sleep," Yugi told her as she snuggled into his embrace. "I'll keep an ear out for when Atem wakes up."

"Thank you," she mumbled, already being lulled to sleep by the the gentle rise and fall of Yugi's chest as he inhaled and exhaled.

The End.

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**Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I am especially grateful to all the follows/favs and nice reviews. **

**I just hope the ending was not too dull. **


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